AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-088
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(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* Venus Bounce??
* Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, to Step Down from ARISS and AMSAT Duties
* Will Marchant, KC6ROL, Appointed AMSAT’s VP-Human Space Flight
* AMSAT Booth Volunteers Needed for Dayton 2009
* ARISS Status - 23 March 2009
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.01
Venus Bounce??
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 29, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-088.01
On March 25th, 2009 a team from the German space organisation AMSAT-DL
reached another milestone on its way to an own interplanetary probe
towards planet Mars. The ground station at the Bochum observatory
transmitted radio signals to Venus. After traveling almost 100 million
kilometers and a round trip delay of about 5 minutes, they were clearly
received as echoes from the surface of Venus. Receiving planetary echoes
is a première in Germany and Europe. In addition, this is the farthest
distance crossed by radio amateurs, over 100 times further than echoes
from the moon (EME reflexions).
For receiving the EVE (Earth-Venus-Earth) reflections, an FFT analysis
with an integration time of 5 minutes was used. After integrating for 2
minutes only, the reflected signals were clearly visible in the display.
Despite the bad weather, signals from Venus could be detected from
1038UT on until the planet reached the local horizon.
The high power amplifier which is described in the current AMSAT-DL
journal has therefore passed this crucial test as a final key component
for the planned P5-A Mars mission. By receiving generated echoes from
Venus, the ground and command station for the Mars probe has been
cleared for operational use and the AMSAT-Team is now gearing up for
building the P5-A space probe.
For financing the actual construction and launch, AMSAT-DL is currently
in negotiation with the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt)
among others, to obtain financial support for the remaining budget of 20
Mill EUR.
AMSAT-DL wants to show that low-budget interplanetary exploration is
possible with its approach.
More information and the link to the official press release:
http://www.amsat-dl.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=166&Item…
The EVE experiment was repeated on Thursday, March 26th for several
hours with good echoes from Venus. Morse code was used to transmit the
well known „HI“ signature known from the AMSAT OSCAR satellites.
73s de DB2OS
Peter Guelzow
President AMSAT-DL
[ANS thanks Peter, DB2OS, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.02
Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO to Step Down from ARISS and AMSAT Duties
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 29, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-088.02
Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, announced today that, effective
immediately(3/24/09), he will be stepping down from all his Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) duties. This includes
his contributions to NASA Education as the ARISS program leader, his
support as the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
International Working Group Chair, his appointment as one of two ARISS
USA delegates, and as the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation’s (AMSAT)
Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs.
Mr. Bauer cited personal and professional reasons for his departure. He
is currently the Chief Engineer for the Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate at NASA Headquarters. This directorate is developing the
next generation human spaceflight vehicles that will take NASA to the
International Space Station and then to the Moon, Mars and beyond. He is
also providing some backup support to the Space Operations Chief
Engineer who supports the Space Shuttle and International Space Station
Programs. “Work responsibilities, which have increased substantially
over the past couple of years, coupled with some recent health issues
within my immediate family, led me to the conclusion that I could not
continue to provide the leadership and passion that has been
characteristic of my past support to these amateur radio endeavors,” Mr.
Bauer said. “This was a very hard decision. I will certainly miss the
phenomenal ARISS international team and our mission to inspire the next
generation of space explorers using ham radio as our platform. But I
thought it would be best to step down at this juncture,” Bauer
explained. KA3HDO continues, “Over the past 12 years, we have
developed, mentored and matured an outstanding volunteer team with a
wide breadth and depth. I am fully confident that they will keep the
ARISS program running smoothly without missing a beat.”
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, has tapped Will Marchant, KC6ROL,
to become the next AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs
and the AMSAT USA delegate of the ARISS International Working Group.
Barry Baines stated that “AMSAT is fortunate that we have a very capable
leader in Will Marchant who is intimately familiar with ARISS, our
extensive human spaceflight program, and is well respected
internationally.” Barry observed, “Frank’s leadership has left a
significant mark on the overall ARISS program and the cooperative
relationship between amateur radio, NASA and other governmental space
agencies. However, Frank also ensured that his team evolved to the
point where the work that he pioneered will be carried on by those that
he mentored and encouraged to take on greater responsibility.”
In his new role, Will Marchant will work with the other ARISS USA
delegate, Rosalie White, K1STO, from the American Radio Relay League
(ARRL) and the other ARISS International Delegates and the ISS Space
Agencies to coordinate the development and operations of the amateur
radio systems onboard the ISS. Rosalie stated that “I look forward to
working with Will in his new role. He has provided outstanding
leadership and support to ARISS from its very beginning, most recently
as an Operations team leader. And he helped pioneer the school group
mentor role as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)
program in the early 1990’s.” She continued, “Frank will be missed
tremendously. It is incredible how much volunteer time and effort he put
into ARISS educational activities; it was easy to see it was his passion.”
With Mr. Bauer stepping down from the ARISS International Chairman role,
the ARISS International Vice Chair, Mr. Gaston Bertels, ON4WF will
become the ARISS International Chairman effective immediately. Mr.
Bertels has been a leader of ARISS from its inception and serves as the
Chairman of the ARISS-Europe team. Mr. Bertels has established a close
relationship between ARISS and ESA, the European Space Agency. This
resulted in the development and the installation of ARISS L- and S-band
antennas on the nadir of Columbus, the European Space Laboratory. Mr.
Bertels also chairs the ARSPEX (Amateur Radio Space Exploration) working
group of the International Amateur Radio Union, Region 1. Mr. Bertels
stated: "We can understand the reasons of Frank Bauer's resignation, but
we also feel how difficult this decision has been. Frank has inspired a
worldwide group of passionate radio amateurs, working together to a
common goal. Now it is up to us to continue in the same direction and
with the same spirit. That's the best farewell present we can offer Frank".
Mr. Bauer’s departure today represents the culmination of over 25 years
of leadership and support to amateur radio activities on human
spaceflight vehicles, including NASA sponsored ham radio activities on
the Shuttle, Space Station Mir, and the International Space Station.
Starting in 1983, he led the Goddard Amateur Radio Club team that
provided around-the clock Space Shuttle retransmissions from the WA3NAN
club station. These retransmissions provided the international ham
radio community up-to-the-minute information during the flight of Owen
Garriott, W5LFL on STS-9 and subsequent SAREX flights. These real-time
bulletins and frequent orbital element updates could only be obtained
through amateur radio in the days prior to the internet. In 1991, AMSAT
then President Bill Tynan, W3XO tapped Frank to be the AMSAT VP for
Human Spaceflight, a position he has held until today.
In 1996, when the International Space Station design development was
well underway, NASA Headquarters Education Office executive Pam Bacon
(Mountjoy) requested that the amateur radio community form a single,
international team to provide one voice for all ham radio development
and operations on the ISS. The SAREX Working Group, led by Roy Neal,
K6DUE, was tapped to turn this vision into reality. In November 1996,
Roy (ARRL), with the other SAREX working group members Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO (NASA/AMSAT), Rosalie White K1STO (ARRL), and Matt Bordelon,
KC5BTL, (NASA) organized a joint NASA-international amateur radio
meeting at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This led to the
formulation of the ARISS International Working Group of delegates
representing Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the USA—and the rest is
history.
Since those austere beginnings, the ARISS team of volunteers has
developed and deployed ham radio equipment that resides in three modules
of the ISS---the Service Module, the FGB and the Columbus Module as well
as having deployed a short duration satellite in a space suit called
SuitSat-1/Radiosskaf/AO-54. These systems enable the ARISS team to
inspire over 15,000 students each year, encouraging them to pursue
careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through
amateur radio communications with the ISS on-orbit crew. It also
introduces these students and millions from the worldwide general public
to the fun, exciting, multi-faceted world of amateur radio.
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), is an educational,
not-for-profit corporation founded 40 years ago and is based in Silver
Spring, MD. Its primary objective is to foster Amateur Radio’s
participation in space research, communications, and education through
the development and operation of amateur radio satellites in space. To
date, there are over 60 amateur radio satellites that have been built by
volunteers around the world and flown in space.
[ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.03
Will Marchant, KC6ROL Appointed AMSAT’s VP-Human Space Flight
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 29, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-088.03
Will Marchant, KC6ROL Appointed AMSAT’s VP-Human Space Flight
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has appointed Will Marchant, KC6ROL
of Marshall, VA as VP-Human Space Flight and to serve as the AMSAT USA
delegate to the ARISS International Working Group. These appointments
follow the resignation of Frank Bauer, KA3HDO that was announced on
Tuesday morning, 24 March due to family and professional reasons.
“AMSAT is fortunate that we have a very capable leader in Will Marchant
who is intimately familiar with ARISS, our extensive human spaceflight
program, and is well respected internationally.” Barry observed,
“Frank’s leadership has left a significant mark on the overall ARISS
program and the cooperative relationship between amateur radio, NASA and
other governmental space agencies. Frank has also ensured that his team
evolved to the point where the work that he pioneered will be carried on
by those that he mentored and encouraged to take on greater responsibility.”
Will Marchant, KC6ROL was first licensed in 1990 when he was assisting
search and rescue organizations in California and wanted to use amateur
radio as a backup to local law enforcement communications. One of his
early activities as an amateur radio operator was to track and listen
for the space shuttle and MIR.
Will increased his participation in amateur radio in space in 1992 with
the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX). At that time, he managed
a shuttle contact with Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of
California, Berkeley, CA with STS-57. From that point on, Will
increased his activities in the SAREX program following his relocation
from Berkeley to Virginia in 1994. He served as a mentor for various
school contacts and was appointed to serve as Operations Manager for
SAREX in 1995. As SAREX Operations Manager Will coordinated both
school contacts and ‘family & friends’ contacts for four years,
spending time at Mission Control in Houston during SAREX missions
managing these contacts.
When the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
International Working Group was established in 1996, Will was involved
under Frank Bauer’s leadership. The first International Space Station
module was sent into orbit in 1998 and has been continuously manned
since 2000. Over the past nine years (with two years ‘off’ from SAREX
and ARISS to complete a Master’s Degree in Space Sciences), Will has
been heavily involved with ARISS Telebridge operations, School Technical
Support, and training of personnel for amateur radio operations in
Space. For example, Will worked extensively with Richard Garriott,
W5KWQ prior to his ‘space tourist’ trip to the ISS in Fall 2008 to help
him prepare for his amateur radio operations from space.
Rosalie White, K1STO of the ARRL is the other US Delegate to the ARISS
International Working Group. She commented, “Will and I have worked
closely together on a number of SAREX and ARISS projects over the years,
and we 'click.' A hard worker, he believes strongly in the use of ARISS
by teachers as an educational tool. I will absolutely miss Frank in our
work as US ARISS delegates and ARISS International Officers, but having
Will step up is the consolation."
In response to his appointments, Will noted, “I’m excited about assuming
responsibility as AMSAT’s VP-Human Space Flight as well as serving as
the AMSAT USA delegate to the ARISS International Working Group. ARISS
continues to play a significant role in science education as well as
providing an opportunity for AMSAT to participate in human activities in
space. I look forward to working with an outstanding team that Frank
created, encouraging greater educational outreach by AMSAT as well as
working as AMSAT’s delegate within ARISS International Working Group.”
Currently based in Virginia, Will is employed by the University of
California Berkeley as a senior programmer and is involved with several
space science missions.
[ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.04
AMSAT Booth Volunteers for Dayton 2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 29, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-088.04
AMSAT Booth Volunteers for Dayton 2009
I am looking for volunteers to help in the AMSAT booth during the 2009
Dayton Hamvention, May 15-17. I would like people to volunteer for 2
hour shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Multiple shifts are
welcome. I also need help with booth setup and take down on Thursday
May 14 and Sunday May 17. With enough people we have been able to setup
and take down the booth in 3 - 4 hours ( or less). Please volunteer to
Gould, WA4SXM at wa4sxm(a)amsat.org. This is a great opportunity to give
back to AMSAT and to have an enjoyable time talking with other AMSAT
members and future members.
Please visit the AMSAT website and follow the Hamvention information
to find out the latest details on AMSAT activities at Dayton. Don't
forget to order your banquet tickets via the website too.
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-088.05
ARISS Status - 23 March 2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 088.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 29, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-088.05
1. Upcoming School Contacts
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has
been scheduled for Cotswold School in Christchurch, New Zealand. The
contact took place on Thursday, March 26 at 23:52 UTC via telebridge
station VK5ZAI in Australia. Cotswold is a primary school which has an
enrollment of 500 children, ages 5 to 11. The ARISS contact has been
integrated into the school’s science curriculum which covers the solar
system and space exploration. Students have learned what the
requirements are to become an astronaut and about life in space. The
school is in the process of setting up an amateur radio station; ten
children have joined the amateur radio club. These students have also
learned about sound waves, the history of radio communication, and basic
circuit building.
St. Joseph High School in Nepean, Ontario, Canada QSO has been
accomplished with the International Space Station (ARISS) on Friday,
March 27 at 13:38 UTC. This was a telebridge contact via LU1CGB in
Argentina.
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with
the Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Alessandro Volta,” in Mandello Del
Lario, Lecco, Italy happened Friday, March 27 at 14:03 UTC. This was a
direct and telebridge contact via stations I2JRY and IZ2PBM. The ARISS
contact will be integrated into the school curriculum as students are
taught lessons in radio, astronautics, astronomy and English.
Parkside Community College in Parkside, Cambridge, U.K. has been
scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact on Monday, March 30 at 17:00 UTC. Station GB4FUN will
handle the connection.
The Girl’s Middle School (GMS) in Mountain View, California has been
scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact on Monday, March 30 at 18:22 UTC via telebridge station
K6DUE in Maryland. The contact is planned with spaceflight participant
Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP/HA5SIK. GMS is a small, independent school for
girls in 6th - 8th grade. The school’s mission is to nurture and
empower girls during this pivotal time in their lives. It looks for
non-traditional educational opportunities to help girls expand their
horizons.
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has
been scheduled for Marcelino Canino Canino Middle School in Dorado,
Puerto Rico. The contact will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 15:36
UTC. The student body is made up of 577 students of which approximately
77% live under the poverty level. 100% of the students receive Title I
services and over 100 students receive special education services. A
Microsatellite Student Program has been implemented where students
design, construct, build and launch microsatellites which are then
tracked and recovered with the help of amateur radio operators. The
coordinating teacher has prepared a NASA Explorer Schools proposal and
other science oriented proposals in the school to help motivate its
largely underprivileged population to become competitive professionals
in the global economy. Two contests have been held at the school – one
for an activity logo and another for an essay. Scientists, state
government functionaries, Department of Education representatives, and
students from other grade levels in elementary and high school have been
invited to attend the event. Of major interest to the students is the
fact that Joseph Acaba, the first astronaut of Puerto Rican descent,
flew to the ISS on STS-119. The school is planning its own press
releases and expects media coverage.
Milwee Middle School in Longwood, Florida has been scheduled for an
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on
Wednesday, April 1 at 17:55 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium.
Carl Sandburg Elementary in the Lake Washington School district in
Kirkland, Washington has been approved for an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The contact is slated for
Thursday, April 2 at 19:35 UTC, assisted by telebridge station W6SRJ in
California.
2. Article on Hampton Bays Contact
Hampton Bays Middle School students participated in an Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, February
25. The Southampton Press published a news story on the event. See:
http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=197658
Video is also available: http://www.27east.com/video.cfm?video=98
3. General Radio Contacts
STS-119 Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba, KE5DAR, made voice contacts
over Puerto Rico on March 20.
Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, made general contacts last weekend as ground
stations wished him a happy birthday.
4. ARISS Team Meeting to be Held
The next ARISS International Team meeting will be held on Tuesday, March
24 at 11:15 UTC.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[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.
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN
ANS-083
In this edition:
* Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO to Step Down from ARISS and AMSAT Duties
* Will Marchant, KC6ROL Appointed AMSAT's VP-Human Space Flight
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-083.01
Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO to Step Down from ARISS and AMSAT Duties
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 083.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 24, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-083.01
Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, announced today that, effective immediately,
he will be stepping down from all his Amateur Radio on the Internat-
ional Space Station (ARISS) duties. This includes his contributions
to NASA Education as the ARISS program leader, his support as the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International
Working Group Chair, his appointment as one of two ARISS USA delegates,
and as the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation's (AMSAT) Vice Presi-
dent for Human Spaceflight Programs.
Mr. Bauer cited personal and professional reasons for his departure.
He is currently the Chief Engineer for the Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate at NASA Headquarters. This directorate is developing the
next generation human spaceflight vehicles that will take NASA to the
International Space Station and then to the Moon, Mars and beyond. He
is also providing some backup support to the Space Operations Chief
Engineer who supports the Space Shuttle and International Space Station
Programs. "Work responsibilities, which have increased substantially
over the past couple of years, coupled with some recent health issues
within my immediate family, led me to the conclusion that I could not
continue to provide the leadership and passion that has been character-
istic of my past support to these amateur radio endeavors," Mr. Bauer
said. "This was a very hard decision. I will certainly miss the phen-
omenal ARISS international team and our mission to inspire the next
generation of space explorers using ham radio as our platform. But I
thought it would be best to step down at this juncture," Bauer explain-
ed. KA3HDO continues, "Over the past 12 years, we have developed, men-
tored and matured an outstanding volunteer team with a wide breadth and
depth. I am fully confident that they will keep the ARISS program run-
ning smoothly without missing a beat."
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, has tapped Will Marchant, KC6ROL,
to become the next AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs
and the AMSAT USA delegate of the ARISS International Working Group.
Barry Baines stated that "AMSAT is fortunate that we have a very capable
leader in Will Marchant who is intimately familiar with ARISS, our exten-
sive human spaceflight program, and is well respected internationally."
Barry observed, "Frank's leadership has left a significant mark on the
overall ARISS program and the cooperative relationship between amateur
radio, NASA and other governmental space agencies. However, Frank also
ensured that his team evolved to the point where the work that he pion-
eered will be carried on by those that he mentored and encouraged to
take on greater responsibility."
In his new role, Will Marchant will work with the other ARISS USA
delegate, Rosalie White, K1STO, from the American Radio Relay League
(ARRL) and the other ARISS International Delegates and the ISS Space
Agencies to coordinate the development and operations of the amateur
radio systems onboard the ISS. Rosalie stated that "I look forward
to working with Will in his new role. He has provided outstanding
leadership and support to ARISS from its very beginning, most recently
as an Operations team leader. And he helped pioneer the school group
mentor role as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)
program in the early 1990's." She continued, "Frank will be missed
tremendously. It is incredible how much volunteer time and effort he
put into ARISS educational activities; it was easy to see it was his
passion."
With Mr. Bauer stepping down from the ARISS International Chairman
role, the ARISS International Vice Chair, Mr. Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
will become the ARISS International Chairman effective immediately.
Mr. Bertels has been a leader of ARISS from its inception and serves
as the Chairman of the ARISS-Europe team. Mr. Bertels has established
a close relationship between ARISS and ESA, the European Space Agency.
This resulted in the development and the installation of ARISS L- and
S-band antennas on the nadir of Columbus, the European Space Laboratory.
Mr. Bertels also chairs the ARSPEX (Amateur Radio Space Exploration)
working group of the International Amateur Radio Union, Region 1. Mr.
Bertels stated: "We can understand the reasons of Frank Bauer's resig-
nation, but we also feel how difficult this decision has been. Frank
has inspired a worldwide group of passionate radio amateurs, working
together to a common goal. Now it is up to us to continue in the same
direction and with the same spirit. That's the best farewell present
we can offer Frank".
Mr. Bauer's departure today represents the culmination of over 25 years
of leadership and support to amateur radio activities on human space-
flight vehicles, including NASA sponsored ham radio activities on the
Shuttle, Space Station Mir, and the International Space Station. Start-
ing in 1983, he led the Goddard Amateur Radio Club team that provided
around-the clock Space Shuttle retransmissions from the WA3NAN club
station. These retransmissions provided the international ham radio
community up-to-the-minute information during the flight of Owen Garriott,
W5LFL on STS-9 and subsequent SAREX flights. These real-time bulletins
and frequent orbital element updates could only be obtained through ama-
teur radio in the days prior to the internet. In 1991, AMSAT then Presi-
dent Bill Tynan, W3XO tapped Frank to be the AMSAT VP for Human Space-
flight, a position he has held until today.
In 1996, when the International Space Station design development was
well underway, NASA Headquarters Education Office executive Pam Bacon
(Mountjoy) requested that the amateur radio community form a single,
international team to provide one voice for all ham radio development
and operations on the ISS. The SAREX Working Group, led by Roy Neal,
K6DUE, was tapped to turn this vision into reality. In November 1996,
Roy (ARRL), with the other SAREX working group members Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO (NASA/AMSAT), Rosalie White K1STO (ARRL), and Matt Bordelon,
KC5BTL, (NASA) organized a joint NASA-international amateur radio meet-
ing at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This led to the formulation
of the ARISS International Working Group of delegates representing Canada,
Europe, Japan, Russia and the USA-and the rest is history.
Since those austere beginnings, the ARISS team of volunteers has develop-
ed and deployed ham radio equipment that resides in three modules of the
ISS---the Service Module, the FGB and the Columbus Module as well as having
deployed a short duration satellite in a space suit called SuitSat-1/Radios-
skaf/AO-54. These systems enable the ARISS team to inspire over 15,000
students each year, encouraging them to pursue careers in science, tech-
nology, engineering and mathematics through amateur radio communications
with the ISS on-orbit crew. It also introduces these students and mill-
ions from the worldwide general public to the fun, exciting, multi-faceted
world of amateur radio.
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), is an educational, not-
for-profit corporation founded 40 years ago and is based in Silver Spring,
MD. Its primary objective is to foster Amateur Radio's participation in
space research, communications, and education through the development and
operation of amateur radio satellites in space. To date, there are over
60 amateur radio satellites that have been built by volunteers around
the world and flown in space.
[ANS thanks ARISS International for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-083.02
Will Marchant, KC6ROL Appointed AMSAT's VP-Human Space Flight
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 083.02
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 24, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-083.02
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has appointed Will Marchant,
KC6ROL of Marshall, VA as VP-Human Space Flight and to serve as the
AMSAT USA delegate to the ARISS International Working Group. These
appointments follow the resignation of Frank Bauer, KA3HDO that was
announced on Tuesday morning, 24 March due to family and professional
reasons.
"AMSAT is fortunate that we have a very capable leader in Will Marchant
who is intimately familiar with ARISS, our extensive human spaceflight
program, and is well respected internationally." Barry observed,
"Frank's leadership has left a significant mark on the overall ARISS
program and the cooperative relationship between amateur radio, NASA
and other governmental space agencies. Frank has also ensured that
his team evolved to the point where the work that he pioneered will
be carried on by those that he mentored and encouraged to take on great-
er responsibility."
Will Marchant, KC6ROL was first licensed in 1990 when he was assisting
search and rescue organizations in California and wanted to use amateur
radio as a backup to local law enforcement communications. One of his
early activities as an amateur radio operator was to track and listen
for the space shuttle and MIR. Will increased his participation in ama-
teur radio in space in 1992 with the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment
(SAREX). At that time, he managed a shuttle contact with Lawrence Hall
of Science of the University of California, Berkeley, CA with STS-57.
>From that point on, Will increased his activities in the SAREX program
following his relocation from Berkeley to Virginia in 1994. He served
as a mentor for various school contacts and was appointed to serve as
Operations Manager for SAREX in 1995. As SAREX Operations Manager Will
coordinated both school contacts and 'family & friends' contacts for
four years, spending time at Mission Control in Houston during SAREX
missions managing these contacts.
When the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Inter-
national Working Group was established in 1996, Will was involved under
Frank Bauer's leadership. The first International Space Station module
was sent into orbit in 1998 and has been continuously manned since 2000.
Over the past nine years (with two years 'off' from SAREX and ARISS to
complete a Master's Degree in Space Sciences), Will has been heavily
involved with ARISS Telebridge operations, School Technical Support,
and training of personnel for amateur radio operations in Space. For
example, Will worked extensively with Richard Garriott, W5KWQ prior
to his 'space tourist' trip to the ISS in Fall 2008 to help him prepare
for his amateur radio operations from space.
Rosalie White, K1STO of the ARRL is the other US Delegate to the ARISS
International Working Group. She commented, "Will and I have worked
closely together on a number of SAREX and ARISS projects over the years,
and we 'click.' A hard worker, he believes strongly in the use of ARISS
by teachers as an educational tool. I will absolutely miss Frank in our
work as US ARISS delegates and ARISS International Officers, but having
Will step up is the consolation."
In response to his appointments, Will noted, "I'm excited about assuming
responsibility as AMSAT's VP-Human Space Flight as well as serving as the
AMSAT USA delegate to the ARISS International Working Group. ARISS con-
tinues to play a significant role in science education as well as provid-
ing an opportunity for AMSAT to participate in human activities in space.
I look forward to working with an outstanding team that Frank created, en-
couraging greater educational outreach by AMSAT as well as working as
AMSAT's delegate within ARISS International Working Group."
Currently based in Virginia, Will is employed by the University of Cali-
fornia Berkeley as a senior programmer and is involved with several space
science missions.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW for the above
information]
/EX
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-074
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(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention 2009
* Air Force Approves AMSAT Keplerian Element Distribution
* Mario Acuña, LU9HBG Silent Key
* AMSAT-DC Spring Workshop April 25
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* UT1FG/MM Wet Grid Square via Satellite Expedition
* ARISS Status Report for the Week of March 9, 2009
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.01
AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention 2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.01
AMSAT Board Member, Gould Smith, WA4SXM tells of AMSAT's plans at the
2009 Dayton Hamvention will be held this year on 15 - 17 May 2009.
Gould says, "This is the 58th year of the Dayton Hamvention, sponsored
by DARA (Dayton Amateur Radio Association). As has been the case for
the many years Hamvention will be at the Hara Arena Complex on the
north side of Dayton. Further information on Hamvention 2009, includ-
ing advance ticket sales and motel accommodations, can be found at
http://www.hamvention.org."
See http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/hamvention/2009/Dayton.php for all
of the details of AMSAT at Dayton 2009.
AMSAT will occupy the same booths (444-449) in Ball Arena, right across
from the ARRL area and just inside the door from the Satellite Demon-
stration area. Make your reservations early for all AMSAT activities!
AMSAT has a number of great activities planned during Hamvention. There
will be a number of new offerings at the AMSAT booth.
2009 is the 40th Anniversary of AMSAT and we will have many pieces of
memorabilia on display highlighting 40 years of amateur radio in space.
SuitSat-2 has been making a great deal of progress this past year. We
will have on display all of the modules that will go into the Orlan
space suit later this year, and we will be able to demonstrate most
of them.
Space Traveler Richard Garriott, W5KWQ will be the speaker at the
annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet. He will also give a short talk during the
Saturday AMSAT Forum and spend some time at the AMSAT booth. Reserva-
tions for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet are now available through the AMSAT
Store. See: http://www.amsat-na.com/store/item.php?id=100158
AMSAT has a limited block of rooms reserved at the Hampton Inn in
Fairborn, OH. Please contact Martha at the AMSAT office (301-589-6062)
or by e-mail at martha(a)amsat.org for room price and availability during
the Hamvention. Priority for rooms will be given to AMSAT members vol-
unteering to work in the AMSAT booth for multiple 2 hour shifts during
the Hamvention.
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.02
Air Force Approves AMSAT Keplerian Element Distribution
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.02
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.02
Keeper of the AMSAT Keps, Ray Hoad, WA5QGD is pleased to announce
that AMSAT NA has recieved approval to continue re-distribution of
Keplerian elements from the Air Force Space Command data source
(Space Track website) for the period April 1, 2009 to April 1, 2010.
Thanks to the AFSPC team and especially to Mr. Mark Riddle for their
help in this process.
Ray said, "This means that the AMSAT Keplerian Elements in verbose
format and the 2-line format can be freely distributed by those who
recieve them from AMSAT. AMSAT's two formats are each considered an
AMSAT product and therefore can be freely distributed. AMSAT asks
that AMSAT NA be given credit as the source for your redistribution."
[ANS thanks Ray, WA5QGD for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.03
Mario Acuña, LU9HBG Silent Key
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.03
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.03
AMSAT Board Member, Tom Clark, K3IO told AMSAT this week, "It is
with great sadness that I learned today of the passing of a long-
term friend of AMSAT, Mario Acuña, LU9HBG." Mario was a very senior
scientist/engineer at NASA Goddard where he made his name by providing
magnetometers for nearly every deep-space and planetary mission since
the 1970's.
Tom recalled, "When a young Martin Sweeting wanted to fly magnetometers
for navigation on the earliest UoSAT's, Mario was the 'go to' guy that
put Martin on the right track. Since magnetometers are biased by metal
and electrical currents in a spacecraft, Mario arranged for testing of
the early UoSATs."
Tom also recalled Mario's assistance with the Phase-3 program, "When
Jan King, Karl Meinzer, and I were trying to minimize radiation damage
in critical Phase-3 components (like the IHU and CMOS logic), Mario was
our mentor in helping to figure out the best way to minimize damage and
teaching us how to apply tantalum to the top and bottom of ICs."
[ANS thanks Tom, K3IO for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.04
AMSAT-DC Spring Workshop April 25
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.04
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.04
AMSAT-DC Area Coordinator Pat Kilroy, N8PK reports on plans for the
AMSAT-DC Workshop to be held on Saturday, April 25, at the NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
A small "simulated satellite" kit will be built, tested and operated
by individuals attending. The completed kit, soon to be widely known
as a PICetSat II module, is a simple remote sensing unit that serves
as an expendable high-altitude small balloon payload. It transmits
downlink telemetry on the 70 cm Amateur Radio band.
Other attendees will provide and configure radios, computers and
software needed to receive, decode and analyze the PICetSat II
telemetry.
Pat says, "The format of this year's workshop is an experiment unto
itself for the few AMSAT-DC subgroup of members who are attempting
to organize such an event for the first time."
He adds, "This workshop may prove to be a fine training opportunity
for one to learn the basics of the design, construction, testing,
calibrating and operating an earth-orbiting satellite. All of this
in one long Saturday of fun!"
The planning sessions are being held each Thursday evening via a
toll-free telephone conference. If you wish to help organize or
execute the workshop then contact Pat by e-mail for the details of
connecting with the group on the telecon at Patrick.L.Kilroy(a)nasa.gov
as soon as possible.
The cost of each kit will be determined soon, along with the admission
structure. For example, being evaluated is $90 for a kit plus AMSAT
membership if one doesn't already have it. The details of the
registration process, workshop procedures and the associated costs
are to follow in a later bulletin and on the AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DC web
pages.
[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.05
Satellite Shorts From All Over
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.05
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.05
+ The Desecheo Island K5D DXpedition team made its first satellite
contact on Friday, February 20th with Andrew Glassbrenner, KO4MA,
in New Port Richey, Florida. That QSO was conducted at 20:14 UTC
through the SO-50 ham radio bird.
+ Paul 2E1EUB will be active on all satellites from N.E.Scotland for
the week starting March 21, 2009. Check out qrz.com under 2M1EUB
listing for more information.
+ Graham, G3VZV, has onboard the ship MV Minerva since March 7 which
is visiting the islands off lying Antarctica. The schedule included
visits to South Georgia (VP8) on March 12 &13th and Tristan da Cunha
(ZD9) on March 18 & 19th before arriving in Cape Town on March 24th.
Activity is planned via SO50, AO51 and the ISS (if available) from
the ship and, if licences can be obtained, from the islands. He will
be taking FM handhelds and an Arrow antenna and hopes to have some
internet access which can be used to arrange skeds if asked. Contact
info is: graham_at_shirville.com
+ Adrian, AA5UK, will be operating as ZF2AE from Grand Cayman and as
ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman during his March 25th - April 8th
vacation on AO-51, SO-50 and FO-29.
+ QSLs for the W5ACM/C6A/MM Western Caribbean Cruise 2009 started
shipping on March 2, 2009. Operators/participants for this event
included W5ACM, WB5RMA, WA5TWT and WA5WOD.
+ Go to http://tinyurl.com/c8jjzx for more information on how you can
submit your suggestion to help NASA name the next ISS Module.
(UniverseToday.com)
+ Mark, N8MH plans to host an AMSAT table at RARSFest in Raleigh, NC
on Saturday, April 11, 2009. He is recruiting help to staff the
table and to answer questions. Please contact Mike directly at:
N8MH at AMSAT dot ORG if you can help. Details for RARSFest can
be found at: http://www.rars.org/hamfest/
[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.06
UT1FG/MM Wet Grid Square via Satellite Expedition
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.06
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.06
Captain Yuri of the MV Bluebill announced he will be operating as
UT1FG/MM from his ship April through June, 2009. His sea voyage
will take him from Northern Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean, the
Gulf of Mexico up to the Mississippi River, then southward toward
Mexico and Central America. Yuri says his current plans are to
operate on AO-27, AO-51, SO-50, VO-52, FO-29, and AO-7. Over the
past two years he already has logged many North American stations
from his ship operations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. QSL
via home call UT1FG.
[ANS thanks Yuri, UT1FG for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-074.07
ARISS Status Report for the Week of March 9, 2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 074.07
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 15, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-074.07
1. School Contacts
An ARISS contact was held with the Da Vinci Science Center in Allen-
town, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 14 via telebridge station WH6PN
in Hawaii. Students submitted questions to ask the ISS crew through
the Center's Teacher Leader Institute. Eighteen students with the
best questions were selected to speak with the astronaut and all
students were invited to attend this educational activity.
Parkside Community College in Parkside, Cambridge, U.K. has been
scheduled for an ARISS contact on Monday, March 30 at 16:54 UTC.
Station GB4FUN will handle the connection.
The Girls' Middle School (GMS) in Mountain View, California has been
scheduled for an ARISS contact on Monday, March 30 at 18:16 UTC via
telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. The contact is planned with
spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP/HA5SIK. GMS is a
small, independent school for girls in 6th - 8th grade. The school's
mission is to nurture and empower girls during this pivotal time in
their lives. It looks for non-traditional educational opportunities
to help girls expand their horizons.
An ARISS contact has been scheduled for Marcelino Canino Canino
Middle School in Dorado, Puerto Rico. The contact will take place
on Tuesday, March 31 at 15:29 UTC. A Microsatellite Student Program
has been implemented where students design, construct, build and
launch microsatellites which are then tracked and recovered with the
help of amateur radio operators.
Milwee Middle School in Longwood, Florida has been scheduled for an
ARISS contact on Wednesday, April 1 at 17:48 UTC via telebridge
station ON4ISS in Belgium.
Carl Sandburg Elementary School in the Lake Washington School District,
Kirkland, Washington has been approved for an ARISS contact. The con-
tact is slated for Thursday, April 2 at 19:28 UTC, assisted by tele-
bridge station W6SRJ in California.
2. Padthaway Contact Successful
On Tuesday, March 3, students from Padthaway Primary School in
Padthaway, Australia participated in an ARISS contact. Telebridge
station W6SRJ in California facilitated the connection, allowing
fifteen students to ask the astronaut 20 questions. One hundred
guests, including the mayor and his wife, attended the event and
enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation and a showing of Mike Fincke's
Expedition 9 video tour of the ISS. Media outlets were present and
the audio was fed to local radio stations. The audio was also fed
into the EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW servers with 6 connections made
from stations in Australia, England, Italy and the U.S.
3. NASA Teaching From Space Site - Now Available
The NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) Web site is now on-line. A new
ARISS section is also available. For the TFS site, see:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/home/index.htmlhttp://tinyurl.com/au7wr8
To view the ARISS site directly, go to:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/home/ariss.htmlhttp://tinyurl.com/bpy9bp
4. Astronaut Training Status
Three successful simulated ARISS contacts took place on Wednesday,
March 4. The simulations were held between the following participants:
Technopolis, Belgium and Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS
Ralph McCall School, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada and Chris Hadfield, VA3OOG
Ralph McCall School, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada and Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH
These training sessions were terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts
using ARISS-equivalent equipment. Audio was available on IRLP.
5. Amateur Radio Newsline Posts Article on Simonyi
On March 6, Amateur Radio Newsline (Report #1647) ran a story on
Charles Simonyi's upcoming mission. "Ham Radio in Space: Charles
Simonyi, KE7KDP Heads Back to the ISS," may be viewed here:
http://www.arnewsline.org/
[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 please
keep in mind you know you are aging when you wake up looking like your
driver's license picture.
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM
K9JKM at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-067
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(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* 40th AMSAT Anniversary
* SumbandilaSat launch delayed again
* AO-27 Satellite Comes Back
* Satellite Shorts
* ARISS Status - 8 March 2009
* AO-51 Schedule adjustment
* AMSAT/TAPR Banquet
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.01
40th AMSAT Anniversary
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 8, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.01
March 3, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of AMSAT's incorporation.
AMSAT was incorporated in the District of Columbia on March 3, 1969.
Perry, W3PK who was AMSAT President from 1969 to mid-1980 said, "We
filed the application for incorporation 40 years ago on Feb. 27, 1969.
A copy of the filing has been saved at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/AboutAmsat/documents/incorporation.php
You can see a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/AboutAmsat/documents/certificate.php
Perry is working with Dick Daniels, W4PUJ to preserve the original
AMSAT Newsletters, archived in paper format onto electronic media.
Additional AMSAT history can be found in the archives of the "Amateur
Satellite Report" Newsletters scanned and converted to PDF by Phil
Karn, KA9Q. Phil has these issues posted on his website (with AMSAT's
permission). See: http://www.ka9q.net/newsletters.html
As the electronic archive project makes progress Perry will issue
a call for one or more volunteers willing to receive scans of
additional issues JPEG format via e-mail, perform the OCR work and
help us change them to searchable PDF files.
Watch upcoming issues of The AMSAT Journal for articles of AMSAT's
roots. AMSAT will also feature 40 years of our accomplishments at
the 2009 Dayton Hamvention.
[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.02
SumbandilaSat launch delayed again
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 8, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.02
SumbandilaSat launch delayed again
The launch of SumbandilaSat has been delayed again, this time due to a
technical hiccup at the Russian launch site, Baikonur.
The Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology, Dr
Phil Mjwara, told SA AMSAT that the launch agency in Russia had sent a
message that the launch would probably be at some time in May this year.
He said that as the launch agency had not been specific in their
communication he will not make a public announcement until DST had
received full details about the reasons for the delay and a new
confirmed date.
It is speculated that the delay is caused by problems of delivering one
of the other payloads on time.
Currently SumbandilaSat is still safely at the test range near Bredasdorp.
[ANS thanks Trevor, M5AKA, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.03
AO-27 Satellite Comes Back
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 8, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.03
AO-27 Satellite Comes Back
In December, 2008 AO-27 went off the air. The control team members
pursued a strategy to drain the batteries in the hopes of resetting
the locked up modem. As of a week ago, the bird has rebooted into
the primary bootloader.
During February, 2009 the control team has managed to upload the high
level software (EOS) to AO-27 after several attempts. They took a week
to collect data to check on the battery status and conduct an on-orbit
checkout before returning to analogue mode.
As of March 1, 2009 the AO-27 control team reports that telemetry is
looking good. During several passes over the US they turned on the
Analogue Repeater. This week the control team will continue the data
download schedule to collect as much whole orbit data to check on the
health of the batteries. So far, it is looking like AO-27 will return
to normal operations on or around March 7th.
AO-27 Uplink: 145.850 MHz FM
AO-27 Downlink: 436.795 MHZ FM
http://www.ao27.org
[ANS thanks the AO-27 Control Team for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.04
Satellite Shorts
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 1, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.04
AO-7 UHF Beacon Activates RTTY Telemetry
The AO-7 UHF Beacon at 435.100 MHz has been reported as becoming oper-
ational. Satellite telemetry in RTTY format is being copied. The AO-7
70-cm beacon was monitored with very strong signals during February 28
passes and also since then. Some reported the beacon initially sounded
as if it was in a two-state mode that sounded a bit like RTTY in idle.
Successful RTTY decodes have been accomplished using "reverse, 45, 85"
parameters.
AO-7 Command Operator, Mike, N1JEZ says, "This is a pretty significant
development. Every time I've tried to activate the RTTY system, all I
would get is a solid carrier then the bird has reset indicating a lack
of power."
[ANS thanks Mike, N1JEZ for the above information]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian, AA5UK, will be operating as ZF2AE from Grand Cayman and
ZF2AE/ZF8 from Little Cayman during his March 25th - April 8th vacation.
Current plans are to operate holiday style on AO-51, SO-50 and FO-29.
He plans to activate EK99hi from March 25 – 28th, EK99xp and EK99wp from
March 28th through April 3rd and EK99kh from April 3rd through April
8th. Most activity will be in the afternoon and evenings.
[ANS thanks Adrian, AA5UK, for the above info]
--------
AMSAT-UK Colloquium Manchester England - First Call for Speakers
This year AMSAT-UK will be holding their Colloquium from Friday
July 24th to Sunday 26th July at the University of Manchester
right in the centre of the city and within 200 metres of
Piccadilly Railway Station.
The station has direct trains to Manchester Airport and there is
also an hourly bus service from the Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
This 3 day event attracts an International audience of those
involved in building and operating Amateur Radio satellites
and CubeSats.
Details of this and previous events can be found at:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium
AMSAT-UK invite speakers, about amateur radio space and associated
activities, for this event. They are also invited to submit papers
for the "Proceedings" document which will be published at the same
time but printed papers are not mandatory. We normally prefer
authors to present talks themselves rather than having someone else
give them in the authors' absence. We also welcome
"unpresented" papers for the Proceedings document.
Offers of talks should be submitted as soon as possible; the final
date for full documents to be received is late-June 2009 in order
that the "Proceedings" document be available to participants.
Submissions should be sent *ONLY* to G4DPZ via the following routes:
e-mail: david dot johnson at blackpepper dot co dot uk
SnailMail: QTHR from http://www.qrz.com/
(enter G4DPZ is the callsign box)
AMSAT-UK also invite anyone with requests for Program Topics to
submit them as soon as possible to G4DPZ. Invitations for any
papers on specific subjects will be included in the future call.
Likewise if anyone knows of a good speaker, please send contact
and other information to G4DPZ.
AMSAT-UK website
http://www.uk.amsat.org/
Join AMSAT-UK online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/
Colloquium page: http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.05
ARISS Status - 2 March 2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 1, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.05
1. Upcoming School Contact
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has
been completed with Padthaway Primary School in Padthaway, SA, Australia
on Tuesday, March 3 at 08:32 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in
California. To prepare for the contact, children wrote essays on space
related topics. They chose a planet to analyze for feasibility of life,
looked at the life of an astronaut (training, diet, etc), researched an
event in space history and created a timeline of important events in
space history. Media coverage is planned.
2. Upcoming ARISS Simulated Contacts
Three simulated Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact has been completed on Wednesday, March 4. These training
sessions are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using
ARISS-equivalent equipment. Audio is expected to be available on IRLP.
All times are approximate.
15:15 UTC - Technopolis, Belgium and Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS
15:30 UTC - Ralph McCall School, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada and Chris
Hadfield, VA3OOG
15:45 UTC - Ralph McCall School, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada and Cady
Coleman, KC5ZTH
3. Fassett Middle School Contact Successful
Fassett Middle School in Oregon, Ohio experienced a successful Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday,
February 23. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 16 students' questions while
over 550 people who gathered for the event looked on. The Oregon school
superintendent was also present for the contact. Audio was fed into the
EchoLink AMSAT (101377) and JK1ZRW (277208) servers. Thirteen
connections were made, including 3 link nodes and one repeater, from
England, Germany, Malaysia and the U.S. The Toledo Blade and TV 11
covered the news.
To view the WTOL TV 11 story, "Can you hear me now? Oregon students call
outer space," see:
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=9889811&nav=menu34_2_4
The Toledo Blade article may be viewed here:
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090224/NEWS16/90224…
4. Australian Contact Successful
Chatham Public School in Taree, NSW, Australia, took part in an Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday,
February 25 via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. The event was held
at the studios of Radio 2RE. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 13 questions
posed to him by ten children. John Key, the New Zealand prime minister,
tied in to the contact and sent greetings to Mike from the Asia/Pacific
region. Thirty-eight radio stations belonging to the Super Radio Network
covered the event the following morning. The audio was also fed into the
EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW servers and received 19 connections from
stations in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Belgium and England.
5. Italian School Questions Astronaut
On Wednesday, February 25, students from 1 Circolo Didattico G. Marconi
in Casamassima, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT.
Seventeen students asked one question each of the astronaut. Special
guest Princess Elettra Marconi attended the event and spoke briefly with
Mike as approximately 250 students, teachers and others watched. Some
regional television stations and local newspapers covered the event.
For more information, photos and audio, visit the ARISS-Europe Web site:
http://www.ariss-eu.org/2009_02_25.htm
6. New York Contact Successful
Students attending Hampton Bays Middle School in Hampton Bays, New York
took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact on Wednesday, February 25. Students created a mockup set of the
ISS from which ten students asked 14 questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT.
The school's IT department provided live coverage of the contact to all
the schools in the district via intranet. Video of the event will be
available on the school Web site in the near future.
7. Astronaut Training Status
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training
session was held with Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH, on Wednesday, February 18.
Coleman is a backup crew member for Expedition 20.
On Tuesday, February 24, two successful simulated ARISS contacts took
place. The first was held between students at the European Space
Center, Belgium and Frank DeWinne, ON1DWN. The second was held between
the Manordale Public School children in Canada and Bob Thirsk, W5/VA3CSA.
8. ARRL Announces Dayton Hamvention Guest Speaker
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article about the upcoming
ARRL National Convention to be held at the Dayton Hamvention in May.
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, will attend the event and spend time in the
ARRL EXPO area greeting visitors. He will also speak at the Hamvention
forum. See:
https://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/02/21/10660/?nc=1
The ARRL Letter also ran the story, "ARRL National Convention to Feature
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ." See: https://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/09/0227/
ARRL's web feature called "ARRL in Action" for the month of March
includes an entry on Richard's attendance at the ARRL National
Convention (Dayton Hamvention) May 15-17.
The ARRL Web site has 100,000 regular readers; the e-newsletter has a
circulation of 115,000.
9. Richard Garriott, Keynote Speaker at AMSAT Banquet
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) announced that Richard
Garriott, W5KWQ, will be the keynote speaker at the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet
during Dayton Hamvention 2009. The banquet will be held on May 15.
Richard will also give a talk at the AMSAT forum on Saturday, May 16.
See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
10. AMSAT Story on SuitSat Meeting
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team held a
SuitSat-2 meeting on Friday - Sunday, February 20 - 22 in Phoenix,
Arizona. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted a story
summarizing the meeting. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
11. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISS Contact
On February 27, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report #1646 covered the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with
South Park Elementary Center. The report may be found here:
http://www.arnewsline.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.06
AO-51 Scehdule Adjustment
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 8, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.06
We've made a few tweaks to the schedule to accommodate the G3VZV cruise,
at the request some South African operators, and to correct an uplink
frequency for the SSTV mode.
The new schedule, as posted at
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php :
March 2009 AO-51 Schedule
All modes using the 435.150 downlink are subject to interruption for
telemetry collection by a command station.
March 2nd - March 9th
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM
Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM
FM Repeater, V(SSB)/U
Uplink: 145.880 MHz SSB
Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM
March 9th - March 16th
Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM
Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM
9k6 BBS, L/U
Uplink: 1268.700 MHz 9k6 FM
Downlink: 435.150 MHz 9k6 FM
March 16th - March 23rd
FM Repeater, V/S
Uplink: 145.880 MHz FM
Downlink: 2401.200 MHz FM
FM Repeater V/U
Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM
Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM
March 23rd - March 30th
FM Repeater V/U
Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM
Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM
FM Repeater V/U SSTV
Uplink: 145.860 MHz FM
Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM
73, Drew KO4MA
AMSAT-NA VP Operations
[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA for the above info]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-067.07
AMSAT/TAPR Banquet
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 067.07
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 8, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-067.07
Reservations for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet are now available through the
AMSAT Store. Richard Garriott, W5KWQ will be the Banquet speaker. He
will also give a short talk during the Saturday AMSAT Forum and spend
some time at the AMSAT booth. Richard has many interests in additon to
his amateur radio work aboard the ISS. Be sure and read his Wikipedia
bio to learn of his numerous accomplishments.
Information about AMSAT Activities during Hamvention 2009 are being
posted to the AMSAT web site. Use the Dayton Hamvention link on the
AMSAT front page left hand navigation.
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, 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.
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-062.01
ANS Special Bulletin: March 3 Marks AMSAT's 40th Anniversary
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 062.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 3, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-062.01
March 3, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of AMSAT's incorporation.
AMSAT was incorporated in the District of Columbia on March 3, 1969.
Perry, W3PK who was AMSAT President from 1969 to mid-1980 said, "We
filed the application for incorporation 40 years ago on Feb. 27, 1969.
A copy of the filing has been saved at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/AboutAmsat/documents/incorporation.php
You can see a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/AboutAmsat/documents/certificate.php
Perry is working with Dick Daniels, W4PUJ to preserve the original
AMSAT Newsletters, archived in paper format onto electronic media.
Additional AMSAT history can be found in the archives of the "Amateur
Satellite Report" Newsletters scanned and converted to PDF by Phil
Karn, KA9Q. Phil has these issues posted on his website (with AMSAT's
permission). See: http://www.ka9q.net/newsletters.html
As the electronic archive project makes progress Perry will issue
a call for one or more volunteers willing to receive scans of
additional issues JPEG format via e-mail, perform the OCR work and
help us change them to searchable PDF files.
Watch upcoming issues of The AMSAT Journal for articles of AMSAT's
roots. AMSAT will also feature 40 years of our accomplishments at
the 2009 Dayton Hamvention.
[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK for the above information]
/EX