ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

12 May 2013


      AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-132
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, 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.
In this edition:
* AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week
* AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU
* AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales
* New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013
* Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton
* "Dayton Only" Special Deals
* Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat
* AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited
* ARISS School Contacts 
* Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops
* Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites?
* HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit
* SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18
* 1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In
* NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13 
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-132.01
ANS-132 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 111.01
...
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 12, 2013
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-132.01
**************************************************************
* Volunteers are still needed to help at the AMSAT booth at  *
* Dayton. We have about 20 people who have stepped forward,  *
* but we could use a few more. If you are willing to spend a *
* couple of hours on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to help at  *
* the Hamvention, please send an e-mail NOW to Steve Belter, *
* n9ip@amsat.org. If you've volunteered, but not heard back  *
* from Steve, please send him another note. Thank you!       *
*                                                            *
* Monitor the 'AMSAT at Dayton Hamvention 2013' link on the  *
* new AMSAT Web Site http://www.amsat.org for the latest     *
* AMSAT at Dayton news and developments.                     *
**************************************************************
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AMSAT is Going to the Dayton Hamvention This Week
This is the week - May 16 through May 19 - for the really big show
near Dayton, Ohio at the 2013 Hamvention.
AMSAT Hamvention activities and displays are planned to take place 
at the new booth location (444-446 and 433-435) in the Ball Arena, 
and outside in the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside the 
Ball Arena entrance.
2013 theme for AMSAT at Dayton is "AMSAT - A View to the Future."
If you have not yet made your reservations for the AMSAT/TAPR Ban-
quet, please make them by Tuesday, May 14, 1800 EDT. Because of the 
requirement that the caterer have a final count, no more reserva-
tions will be accepted afterwards, either on the AMSAT Store or at 
Dayton. This is a great opportunity to mingle with your fellow 
techies, as well as hear a fascinating speaker!
Here are the daily AMSAT activities for on-site and off-site events 
at the 2013 Hamvention!
Thursday 16 May 2013
--------------------
+ 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM 
  AMSAT Booth Setup at Ball Arena (contact Steve Belter, N9IP, 
  n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time).
+ 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
  The third Annual AMSAT "Dinner at Tickets" party will be held at 
  Tickets Pub & Eatery in Fairborn, OH. Check out the 'AMSAT at Day-
  ton Hamvention 2013' link to the page 'AMSAT Dayton Social Events'
  on the new Web Site: http://www.amsat.org.
Friday 17 May 2013
------------------
+ 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth
  AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and 
  information. You may pick up your tickets at the AMSAT boot for
  the Friday Night AMSAT/TAPR Banquet during this time.
+ 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at Dayton 2013
  AMSAT/TAPR Banquet on Friday night, May 17 is one of the main AMSAT 
  activities during the 2013 Hamvention at Dayton. The speaker this
  year will be Bruce Perens, K6BP, with a humorous history of tech-
  nology evangelism: "The Evangelist's Dilemma: Driving  New Ideas 
  With Nothing But Words."
Saturday 18 May 2013
--------------------
+ 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the AMSAT Booth
  AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and 
  information. Note the bulletin below for the AMSAT Store Dayton
  Deals!
+ 11:15 AM - 1:30 PM The AMSAT Forum
  Get the latest information about what is going on with AMSAT and 
  its projects. The AMSAT Forum will be held in Forum Room 5. See
  the bulletin below for details!
Sunday 19 May 2013
------------------
+ 9:00 AM - 1:00PM at the AMSAT Booth
  AMSAT Booth open for membership renewals, books, new items and 
  information.
+ 1:00PM - 3:00PM at the AMSAT Booth
  Take down and storage of the AMSAT Booth. (contact Steve Belter, 
  N9IP, n9ip at amsat.org if you can help during this time).
Demos Daily on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for All Available Passes
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AMSAT is encouraging everyone attending the 2013 Dayton Hamvention
to come by the Satellite Demonstration Area just outside of the Ball
Arena entrance and make a contact using the amateur satellites. There
will be AMSAT volunteers to explain how to make the contacts and dur-
ing actual satellite passes will complete as many actual contacts as 
possible. Satellite pass times will be posted in the satellite demon-
stration area and at the AMSAT booth.
[ANS thanks AMSAT's 2013 Dayton Committee for the above information]
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AMSAT Engineering Will Show Fox-1 System Software Running on IHU
AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX reported
that the software development team successfully brought up the Fox-1
system software on the Internal Housekeeping Unit (IHU.) The IHU is
the brains of the Fox-1 satellite and it has a 32-bit, STM32L
microprocessor.
Tony says the operating IHU card will be shown at the Dayton Ham-
vention next week in the AMSAT booth. The engineering team welcomes
everyone to stop by and have a look.
ANS thanks AMSAT Vice President Engineering, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX
for the above information]
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AMSAT V/U/WX Receive Preamps at Dayton for Display and Sales
AMSAT will have a supply of the popular V/U/WX receive preamplifiers 
at Dayton for display and sales.
Ready to operate--not a kit! Fully assembled, tested, and installed 
in a metal enclosure with female BNC connectors on input and output. 
It is based on the MAR 7 device, and covers 100 MHz to 500 MHz. This 
includes the137 MHz WX, 2M, and 70cm satellite bands.
Operates from +9-15V DC (a fresh 9V battery works great!). Perfect 
for portable operations using dual band hand-held Yagis like the 
ARROW, Cheap Yagi, etc. Just put it inline on the correct receive 
band for operations in either mode U/V or V/U. You won't believe 
what you've been missing!
Includes low power (about 5W) protection diode on the input for acci-
dental transmissions into the input. This preamp is not RF switched. 
It must be protected from inadvertent repeated or high power trans-
mission RF using a relay or diplexer.
Full details and schematic can be found in the November/December 
2012 AMSAT Journal article by Mark Spencer, WA8SME, or downloaded 
from the item in the Hardware section of the AMSAT Store:
http://store.amsat.org/catalog/
The assembled and tested kit is priced at $50 USD.
Proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the AMSAT Fox 
Family of satellites!
This equipment was developed as part of the ARRL Education and Tech-
nology Program.
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information]
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New Fox-1 CubeSat Model to Debut at Hamvention 2013
Through the dedicated work of  Stefan Wagener, VE4NSA, AMSAT-NA will 
debut its new 1:1 scale cardboard model of the Fox-1 CubeSat at Ham-
vention 2013.
We will have a complete display at the AMSAT booth. It is life size, 
and based on the latest Fox-1 engineering drawings for highest fid-
elity in design and appearance.
The model is printed in color on heavy stock paper, including all 
components. The instructions are carefully prepared to allow for 
easy assembly requiring scissors, glue etc. Depending on experience, 
assembly will take approximately 10+ hours.
The complete model will be a perfect addition to any satellite oper-
ator's shack, and a chance to show visitors what is being done by 
AMSAT today. We will have finished models at the AMSAT booth for a 
recommended donation of $25. All proceeds will go to supporting the 
Fox Project.
See http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=503 for a photo of the model.
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information]
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Updated AMSAT LVB Tracker to be Shown at Dayton
AMSAT has sold the popular G6LVB Tracker for several years. This 
year we will have a new version which replaces the amber LCD display 
with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The new display 
offers a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view. It will 
be available in blue, green and amber.
LVB Trackers will be available with the recommended serial (RS-232) 
I/O. The recommended minimum donation will remain $200. An FTDI USB/
Serial module is available as an option for an additional $25. A pic-
ture showing the old and new displays may be found at:
http://ww2.amsat.org/?p=484
Current LVB Tracker owners may update their own units. The OLED dis-
plays used are manufactured by Newhaven, NHD-0216KZW series, and are 
available from Mouser and other online parts suppliers. The OLED dis-
plays have less depth so the PEM fasteners need to be shortened for 
correct fit and viewing thru the front of the case. The LVB Tracker 
firmware will also require updating. Current owners may send their 
LVB Tracker to WB8CXO for retrofit if they don't wish to do the mod-
ifications themselves. Upgrading existing trackers will be $50 + ship-
ping. Contact WB8CXO@AMSAT.ORG for details.
AMSAT would like to acknowledge the many contributors to this effort.
Mike Young, WB8CXO who has supported the Tracker and whose initiative 
was essential to this development. John Drago, W8FAA modified the LVB 
Tracker firmware to support the OLED display. Ken Baker from Ridge 
Machine manufactured the PEM fastener cutting jig. Steve Belter, N9IP,
Mark  Hammond, N8MH and John Papay, K8YSE did beta testing. And 
finally Gould Smith, WA4SXM, LVB Tracker project manager for his
continuous guidance and support.
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information]
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"Dayton Only" Special Deals
As usual, during the Hamvention AMSAT will have a number of special 
items and packages available at the booth. These will range from new 
design shirts and hats, to tracking hardware and software, to Elk 
antennas.
Many of the shirts and trinkets are only available at Dayton. When 
they are gone, they are gone! Be sure to stop by the booth early 
while we have a full range of sizes.
Here are some of the bargains announced for Dayton Hamvention 2013:
+ SATPC32 - $40 (normally $45 for members)
+ AMSAT TOTE BAG - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing members and for
  those who buy a LVB Tracker Box.)
+ AMSAT LICENSE PLATE HOLDER - $5.00 (Free for new and renewing 
  members)
These items are only available at Dayton:
+ LVB TRACKER BOX - $200
+ ELK ANTENNA - $125
The full shopping list, including publications, software, hardware, 
apparel, and sustaining memberships are posted on the AMSAT On-Line
Store at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=296
Please do not contact the AMSAT office requesting Dayton-only spe-
cials. Our regular offerings remain available at the AMSAT Store:
http://store.amsat.org/catalog/
[ANS thanks Alan Biddle, WA4SCA for the above information]
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Signals Received From Estonia's ESTCube-1 CubeSat
Estonia's first CubeSat ESTCube-1, amateur radio callsign ES5E/S, 
was successfully launched from the ESA Spaceport in Kourou in French
Guiana on May 7, 2013 aboard an ESA VEGA rocket.
Built by students at the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 the main 
mission of the satellite is to test electric solar wind sail tech-
nology, a novel space propulsion technology that could revolution-
alize transportation within the solar system. It will deploy a 10 
meter conductive electrodynamic tether and the force interacting 
with the tether will be measured.
Information about the satellite is posted at:
http://www.estcube.eu/en/
The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have pub-
lished these frequencies for ESTCube-1:
+ 437.250 MHz - CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S
+ 437.505 MHz - 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11
+ See http://www.estcube.eu/en/radio-details for additional news.
+ A beacon decoder can also be found on a link from this page.
The AMSAT-UK web shows additional photos and a description of the
mission for ESTCube-1 at:
http://amsat-uk.org/2013/05/06/estcube-1-estonias-first-cubesat-2/
The ESTCube-1 Team has begun posting updates on their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/estcube
Here is a google maps page that tracks ESTCube-1:
http://tinyurl.com/ESTCube-Tracker (lizard-tail.com)
ESTCube-1 keplerian elements are included in the AMSAT.ORG elements
set sent out this week via the keps@amsat.org e-mail list.
After deployment from the VEGA upper stage reception reports of
ESTCube-1 reception reports from amateur radio stations worldwide
were posted:
+ Ib, OZ1MY received the signal, noting, "Using the preliminary 
  TLEs I heard ESTCube-1 beacon at 0908 UTC May 7. The received
  frequency is approximately 2 KHz higher than published."
+ Nader, ST2NH reported, "EstCube-1 Beacon heard over Africa strong 
  and clear."
+ Ken, GW1FKY reported, "Monday 7th May 2013 - Time here in Wales, UK
  1235hrs UTC. Hearing ESTcube-1 very well with just my Elk antenna 
  and a Kenwood TS-2000.
+ Jean-Pierre, F5YG wrote, "On orbit number 4, good signal but only 
  small pieces of text as there is a lot of time between CW frames.
+ Hector, CO6CBF said, "ESTCube-1 was heard in EL92sd with a great 
  signal. I was running a FUNcube Dongle with SDR-Radio V2.0 and ELK 
  antenna with a homebrew preamplifier.
Approximately 12 hours after launch the ESTCube-1 team posted a status
that received telemetry packets indicate the satellite had charged its
batteries completely.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the University of Tartu ESTCube-1 Team for 
 the above information]
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AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Solicited
It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the
AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. A nomination requires either one Member
Society or five current individual members in good standing to
nominate an AMSAT member for the position. Four director's terms
expire this year: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Alan Biddle, WA4SCA, Drew
Glasbrenner, K04MA, and Tony Monteiro, AA2TX.
In addition to traditional submission of written nominations, which
remains unchanged and is the preferred method, nominations may be
made by electronic means. These include e-mail, FAX, or electronic
image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be sent to
MARTHA at AMSAT.ORG or faxed to 301-608-3410.
Written nominations, consisting of names, calls and individual sig-
natures should be mailed to:
AMSAT-NA
  850 Sligo Ave #600
  Silver Spring, MD, 20910
No matter what means is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than 
June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional 
written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than 
this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST 
be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days
following the close of nominations on June 15th.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION 
  ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXISTING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information]
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ARISS School Contacts
Gary, Indiana
-------------
An International Space Station school contact was susscessful with 
participants at The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc, Gary, IN on May 8. 
This was a direct contact between NA1SS and KC9JQN.
The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc. serves as the primary literacy 
collaborative in the City of Gary and neighboring communities. GLC 
supports, promotes, enhances, and coordinates the accessibility of 
literacy opportunities, thus making Gary, "A Reading City."
GLC has maintained a close partnership with the Gary Community School
Corporation (GCSC). The GLC/GCSC partnership allows the operation of 
the "Learning Partner" Mentoring Project. This mentoring initiative 
is a motivational endeavor offering an arm of support to 4th, 5th and 
6th grade students enrolled in the GCSC gender academies; Dr. Bernard 
C. Watson Academy for Boys and Frankie Woods-McCullough Academy for 
Girls. The GCSC is an urban public school district challenged to ex-
pand and enhance educational experiences for the approximately 10,000 
students that it serves. A large percentage of these students reside 
in single-parent homes and/or low -income families.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police HQ, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
----------------------------------------------------------
The contact with the Yellowknife R.C.M.P. Headquarters, Yellowknife, 
NWT, Canada, via a telebridge connection with K6DUE that had been 
scheduled for Saturday, May 11 was postponed due to an unplanned EVA 
to investigate an ammonia leak. At press time this contact has been
rescheduled for a telebridge via K6DUE on Sunday, May 12.
ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to 
issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at pre-
sent, the Ericsson radio is  going to be used for these contacts. 
ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance.
[ANS thanks the ARISS Team for the above information]
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Museum Ships Weekend Special Event Station KK5W Satellite Ops
The Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC) will be participating 
in the Museum Ships Weekend Event on June 1-2, 2013 from Pelican 
Island (IOTA NA-143) near Galveston, Texas.
It is expected that amateur radio operators will activate amateur 
radio stations on over 80 ships worldwide during the event. The 
BVARC operation from Seawolf Park will activate both the submarine 
USS Cavalla and the destroyer escort USS Stewart.
BVARC plans a full 2-day operation on the HF bands. Operation on 
OSCAR satellites is planned for daytime passes on Saturday, June 1.
The BVARC satellite team will consist of AMSAT members Andy Mac-
Allister, W5ACM, Allen Mattis, N5AFV, Charlie Keng, K5ENG, and 
Carl Hacker, WC5WM.
During MSWE 2012 a number of museum ships operated on OSCAR satel-
lites and the KK5W satellite team worked the USS Nautilus, the USS 
New Jersey, and the Lightship Overfalls. We encourage any interest-
ed satellite operators to volunteer to operate on the OSCAR satel-
lites if you live near a participating museum ship. Join in and be 
part of this worldwide event.
If you hear KK5W on during MSWE 2013 give us a call. QSL with SASE 
to KK5W, Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club, PO BOX 2997, Sugar Land, 
TX 77487-2997.
Additional information is posted on these web pages:
+ http://www.nj2bb.org/museum/index
+ http://www.bvarcmswe.org
[ANS thanks Allen Mattis, N5AFV for the above information]
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Additional 2M Downlink Allocation Proposed for Amateur Satellites?
AMSAT-UK reports that an increased allocation for amateur satellite 
downlink on the 2 meter band has been proposed. In the minutes from 
the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting held in Vienna, April 20-21, the 
papers related to the Amateur Satellite Service included:
+ VIE13_C5_03 Increased Amateur-Satellite Service 144MHz Usage
+ VIE13_C5_05 Recommendations for DATV Transmission
+ VIE13_C5_24 Region 1 Satellite Coordinator Report
+ VIE13_C5_27 New Narrow-Band working frequencies in the
              2300-2450 MHz band
+ VIE13_C5_32 2400MHz Amateur Satellites
The VIE13_C5_03 which proposed the use of 144.000-144.035 MHz for 
satellite SSB/CW downlinks was modified to accommodate some CW con-
tests, the proposal was reduced from 35 to 25kHz 
(i.e. 144.000-144.025 MHz).
The minutes record that Graham Shirville, G3VZV presented the paper 
on the increasing use of 2m by satellites and the desire to use the 
under-utilized bottom of the 2m band 144.000-144.035, which had 
originally been harmonized for EME activity. "EME has subsequently 
moved to frequencies further up the band," Shirville said.
An IARU Region 1 representative noted that if the other IARU Region 
2 and Region 3 are also willing to go for 144.000 and 144.025, then 
IARU Region 1 will support this proposal. IARU Region 2 Conference 
is in Cancun, Mexico in September 2013.
Additional details of the proposal and links to the Vienna C5 meet-
ing minutes and papers are posted on the AMSAT-UK web at:
http://tinyurl.com/FrequencyProposal (www.amsat-uk.org)
In the show "Amateur Radio Today" for May 5, 2013 Murray Niman G6JYB 
was interviewed about the IARU Region 1 Vienna conference and dis-
cussed the proposal to permit amateur radio satellite linear trans-
ponders operate in the very bottom section of the 144 MHz band.
The show, hosted by Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, provides a pre-
view of the Dayton Hamvention, Murray Niman who represented the SARL 
(and RSGB) at the IARU Vienna Conference. The interview with Murray 
Niman G6JYB starts 34 minutes into the show.
Listen to Amateur Radio Today May 5, 2013 at:
http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013pod.MP3 (lo-res)
http://www.amateurradio.org.za/ARTODAY5MAY2013.MP3 (hi-res)
AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW notes that the AMSAT-NA 
Board of Directors is studying the IARU Region 1 proposal but has 
as yet not reached a decision on whether to support it or not. He 
further noted that EME operators and other weak signal people need 
to be canvassed before the Board is willing to reach a decision.
Barry observed, "The inclusion of this news item in ANS is meant to 
encourage conversation/discussion and is not meant to suggest impli-
cit endorsement by AMSAT-NA. AMSAT members and others who wish to 
comment on the proposal are encouraged to send their feedback to the 
AMSAT Board of Directors' mailbox at BOD at AMSAT.org."
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for the 
 above information]
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HAMSAT VO-52 Celebrates 8th Year On Orbit
Mani, VU2WMY, Secretary & Station-In-Charge Upagrah Amateur Radio 
Club VU2URC at India's ISRO Satellite Centre noted this week:
"It gives us great and immense pleasure to say that 'HAMSAT VO-52'  
completes eight fruitful years in orbit contributing to the wonder-
ful cause of 'Amateur Radio Satellite Communication'.
The overall health parameters are excellent and we do hope that  
transponder(s) on-board 'HAMSAT VO-52' would continue to render 
good services for many more years to come.
On this joyous occasion, on behalf of everyone here in ISRO/India 
and on my personal behalf, I thank each and every user, contribu-
tors and  well wishers for this great achievement.
Special thanks to Guru VU2GUR, Nitin VU3TYG, Partha VU2GPS, Sunil  
VU2UKR, Bob W7LRD, Trevor M5AKA and others for sending in their 
reports and suggestions for the possible HAMSAT 2."
[ANS thanks Mani, VU2WMY for the above information]
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SA AMSAT Space Symposium Coming to Pretoria on May 18
The 2013 SA AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the Innovation Hub 
in Pretoria on Saturday 18 May. Full details can be found on-line at:
http://www.amsatsa.org.za.
Some of the program topics announced this week include:
+ Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, will take delegates on a historical 
  journey in his presentation "living the dreams of our space 
  pioneers", speaking of OSCAR-7, the oldest amateur satellite
  still operating.
+ Deon Coetzee, ZR1DE, will share his experiences developing a 
  14 MHz receiver to receive signals from the soon to be launched 
  ZACube satellite.
+ Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ will have a presentation on antenna control.
SA AMSAT says, "The programme is packed with interesting papers 
to cater for all levels of interest and experiences. All attendees 
will receive a CD with all the presentations and other interesting 
material.
[ANS thanks SA AMSAT and the SARL News for the above information]
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1000th Session of the Houston AMSAT Net Invites You to Check In
The Houston AMSAT net is on the air live on Tuesday evenings at 
8:00 PM (Wednesday 0100 UTC) on the 145.47 W5RPT FM Repeater PL
123.0. The net can also be heard on Echolink on the AMSAT confer-
ence.
All interested satellite operators are invited to tune in on Tuesday,
May 21 for 1000th consecutive session of the net. A special feature
of the 1000th net will include AMSAT officers and other guests call-
ing into the net.
If you are on the Echolink AMSAT conference you also count as being
checked into the net.
[ANS thanks Andy W5ACM, Net Control of the Houston AMSAT Net for
 the above information]
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NASA TV to Cover Soyuz Landing May 13
NASA Television will provide live coverage May 12-14 as three crew 
members aboard the International Space Station end five months in 
orbit and return to Earth for a scheduled landing May 13.
Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, 
Tom Marshburn of NASA and Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal 
Space Agency (Roscosmos) will undock their Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft 
from the station at 7:08 p.m. EDT (UTC-4) May 13, heading for a land-
ing on the steppe of Kazakhstan southeast of Dzhezkazgan at 
10:31 p.m. EDT.
NASA TV's full coverage schedule is as follows (all times EDT):
Sunday, May 12:
3:40 p.m. -- Expedition 35/36 change of command ceremony
Monday, May 13:
3:30 p.m. -- Farewells and hatch closure (hatch closure scheduled 
             at 3:50 p.m.)
6:45 p.m. -- Undocking (undocking scheduled at 7:08 p.m.)
9:15 p.m. -- Deorbit burn and landing (deorbit burn scheduled at 
             9:37 p.m., landing scheduled at 10:31 p.m.)
Midnight --  Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing 
             activities
Tuesday, May 14:
Noon -- Video file of post-landing activities and interviews
For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: 
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ We receive occasional inquiries about the error message shown when
  attempting to access the prior AMSAT.ORG web pages. These prior web
  pages are down and are being replaced with a new AMSAT web presence.
You need to delete any old bookmarks pointing to
  http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new. The URL http://www.amsat.org should
  be manually entered into your browser. This will bring you to the 
  new AMSAT web page currently under development. There is only basic 
  information posted on this site at present but will expand in the 
  future.
+ Members of the Camb-Hams are now active from the Isle of Mull
  (IOSA NH15, SCOTIA CN10, WLOTA 2485), Inner Hebrides, as GS3PYE/p
  until May 16. Look for 13 operators to be active on all bands and 
  many modes from 160-2 meters as well as 472 kHz. The HF bands will 
  be covered by 5 simultaneous stations, while 6m, 4m and 2m sta-
  tions will have a great take-off towards the UK and Europe. They 
  will have an antenna  elevation system for 2m EME activity and 
  will also be on many of the VHF/UHF satellite passes.
+ Singing in Space: Russia's space agency Roscosmos said this week 
  it has reached an agreement with US-based Space Adventures Ltd. 
  company to proceed with the plans to put British singer Sarah 
  Brightman on a space flight to the International Space Station in 
  October 2015. A final decision on Brightman's journey to the ISS 
  has not been made as it has to be coordinated between Roscosmos 
  and NASA, fitting the demanding schedule of visiting flights to 
  the orbital station. (SpaceDaily.com)
+ The 2013 Central States VHF Society Conference will be held near 
  Chicago at the Elk Grove Village, IL, Holiday Inn from Thursday
  July 25 until Sunday July 28. Refer to the conference web at:
  http://www.csvhfs.org/2013conference/agenda.html for additional
  information on the technical program, family activities, and a
  tour of FermiLab.
+ If you can't make it to the Hamvention you can watch the event on
  the W5KUB.com world wide webcast. The live broadcast begins on 
  Wednesday May 15 at 8:00 AM Central time for the 550 Mile drive 
  from Memphis to Dayton live. The broadcast will be up on Thursday
  to show various vendors setting up. Then the show will feature 
  Hamvention coverage Friday through Sunday. As in the past, W5KUB 
  will be giving out thousands of dollars of ham prizes to their 
  viewers. Join in on the fun at W5KUB.Com. When you login to the 
  web chat room you are registered for the prize drawings.
+ In this video Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explains how to
  steer the ISS:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IZHw4UKFiHQ
+ In case you wondered why there was never a station broadcasting on
  UHF TV channel 37 find out why in the Universe Today story, "The 
  Curious Channel 37 - Must-see TV For Radio Astronomy".
  http://tinyurl.com/channel37 (UniverseToday.com)
[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]
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/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 addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT 
Office.
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 stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. 
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership 
information. And with that please keep in mind to never trust an 
atom ... they make up everything!
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM
K9JKM at amsat dot org

JoAnne Maenpaa

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