AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-328
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor@amsat.org
In this edition: * New publication start up announced * Popular Magazine Acquired * PCSAT Recovery Successful * Nominations Due * AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation * ARISS Status - 10 November 2008
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.01 New publication start up announced
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.01
After the great success of ham-mag (french ham "E-magazine"), we have decided to make it in ENGLISH ! But to make this challenge we need the help of a lot of O.M's Everybody can send us informations, technical, homebrew, support, DX, expedition, sat infos, etc. The claim is to share all informations about radio. You can have a look on : http://www.ham-mag.com
Best 73's Vincent F5SLD
[ANS Thanks Vincent, F5SLD, for the above information] /EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.02 Popular Magazine Aquired
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.02
CQ COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES WORLDRADIO MAGAZINE
(Hicksville, NY and Sacramento, CA, November 12, 2008) -- CQ Communications, Inc. has acquired WorldRadio magazine, CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA and WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, announced jointly today. CQ, based in Hicksville, New York, currently publishes CQ Amateur Radio, CQ VHF and Popular Communications magazines. WorldRadio, based in Sacramento, California, has been published monthly since July, 1971, with a primary focus on the human side of ham radio. CQ, a general-interest ham radio magazine best known for its support of DXing and contesting, has been in print since January, 1945. Armond Noble, N6WR, Publisher of WorldRadio, said that at the age of 74 the time had come for him to retire. "I wanted to be sure that WorldRadio found a good home, and that our readers would continue to be served by an independent voice in amateur radio," Noble said. CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, said, "WorldRadio has filled an important niche in our hobby for nearly four decades. We welcome WorldRadio's readers to the CQ family, and we look forward to meeting their needs for many years to come." Current plans call for WorldRadio to continue to be published online as part of the CQ family of magazines, with Editor Nancy Kott, WZ8C, continuing in that position. WorldRadio subscribers will also have their subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized.
[ANS thanks Rich, W2VU, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.03 PCSAT Recovery Successful
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.03
PCSAT Recovery Successful, Full Sun Operations Begin December 9
Bob, WB4APR reports from the US Naval Academy Satellite Lab that PCSAT-1 should return to full operations on 9 Dec 08 when this sunlight-only veteran bird once again receives solar illumination for two weeks.
Bob says "This should give a few weeks for some good 2 meter packet contacts and the opportunity to run a Satellite Simulated Emergency Test (SSET)". If the ISS is also operational on 145.825, there is the possibility for some lucky 2-hop DX contacts via both birds. Combined PCSAT and ISS 1200 baud packet operation on 145.825 MHz will give 12 opportunities per day for contacts without any change in your radio.
Operating PCSAT-1 is just like any 1200 baud 2 meter packet repeater. Uplink and downlink are on 145.825 and the path is VIA ARISS. This path is identical to the ISS path so that you do not have to change anything between the two spacecraft. (Until PCSAT-1 is reloaded, however, its digipeating alias is its FCC call W3ADO-1.) You can hear it every day right now, but its packets die before completion because of poor power budget.
Refer to: http://home.comcast.net/~k9jkm/ARISS_Packet_How_To/ for additional information to configure your TNC for 1200 baud satellite operation.
Bob continues, "I just commanded PCSAT-1 this week and all functions are normal. All we need is the first full-sun orbit on the 9th of Dec to be able to do a full recovery, and then it should last for 2 weeks or more".
Amateur Radio operators can make two-way contacts, send beacons and bulletins and send your position so you will show up on the PCSAT web page at: http://pcsat.aprs.org.
Bob recommends everyone plan on testing their emergency E-mail capability during the time window of 12 to 15 December for everyone to try to send an E-mail via the PCSAT or ISS digipeater. Please see the Satellite Simulated Emergency Test information at: http://www.aprs.org/sset.html. You can use any packet system and no special software is required.
[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.04 Nominations Due
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.04
The Dayton Hamvention® now is accepting nominations for its 2009 Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement, and Technical Excellence awards. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 18, 2009. All amateur radio operators are eligible. The winners will be recognized at the 2009 Hamvention®, which runs May 15-17.
The Amateur of the Year Award goes to an individual who has made a long-term, outstanding commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Technical Excellence Award is for the person who has made an outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur Radio. The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio, usually someone who has spearheaded a significant project.
The Hamvention® Awards Committee makes the decision on all awards based in part upon the information it receives--and not on the number of nominations submitted.
Documentation that informs the Awards Committee of a candidate's accomplishments may include magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even videos (these materials become the property of Hamvention® and will not be returned).
Additional details on these awards and a nomination form are available on the Dayton Hamvention® Web site. Nominations also are accepted via US mail to Dayton Hamvention® Awards, PO Box 964, Dayton, OH 45401.
[ANS thanks Henry Ruminski for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.05 AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.05
AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation
AO-16 Groundstation controller, Mark, N8MH reminds amateur satellite stations that the time for contacts via AO-16 may be drawing short!
AO-16 has been in continuous voice operations since commanded back ON and configured in voice mail on 15 Sept 2008 at 10:58 UTC. The control team's predictions regarding sustained activities seem have been right on the mark. Recording your observations about AO-16 at: http://oscar.dcarr.org has been, and will continue to be, very helpful to the AO-16 control team. Please keep this up, especially over the upcoming 4 weeks.
Many of you will recall that the "best guess current model" is that a hardware timer in AO-16 is firing when the craft is at a certain temp- erature, currently around 15 deg C or cooler. When the space craft temperature is over 15 deg C, the hardware timer behaves and continuous operations are sustained. The craft temperature is dependent upon solar illumination. It appears that around 85% illumination is the "magic number." If the orbit puts AO-16 with less than 85% illumination, the watchdog timer restarts the satellite, and the transmitter shuts down.
Illumination projections (and subsequent temperature predictions) suggest that we might be able to sustain operations until sometime in the window of November 22 until December 4, 2008. So, if you want to make some AO-16 contacts, you had better get them as soon as possible!!!
Long term orbital projections suggest that if the satellite hardware remains fundamentally unchanged (i.e., no deterioration of components on-board), it will be nearly 10 years before AO-16 receives sufficient illumination to warm up the spacecraft enough to again support sus- tained operations! You can be sure that we'll continue to probe the craft with commands, in hopes that we something will change in a good way that will allow us to use the bird for operations of some sort.
It is possible that the transmitter on AO-16 will turn OFF sometime in the next few days/weeks; this requires some commanding to get it running again, which means a pass over the Eastern US coast is required for a change in operational status. We expect that as the spacecraft cools down, transmitter shutdowns will become more frequent.
Enjoy this grand old bird while you can!
Current operational mode for AO-16:
Mode FM Voice Repeater ( Downlink is DSB) Uplink : 145.9200 MHz FM Downlink 437.0260 MHz SSB
[ANS thanks Mark, N8MH for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.06 ARISS Status - 17 November 2008
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 23, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-328.06
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 17, 2008
1. Upcoming School Contacts
Planning continues for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contacts. New approvals are expected this week.
2. Australian School Contact Successful
On Monday, November 10, Anderson's Creek Primary School in Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia experienced a very successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact via telebridge station VK5ZAI in Kingston, South Australia. Ten students asked two questions each of astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. An audience of over 230 witnessed the event including the mayor, sergeant, representative from Rotary, Bendigo Bank and the Warrandyte High School principal. There were also many representatives including the president from the local Wireless Institute. The majority of the teaching staff also joined in. The Herald Sun sent a photographer before and during the event and published an article in the paper and online. The Education Times, the Victorian Teacher newspaper, also conducted an interview and will publish a story in its next edition. The Victorian Space Science Education Centre published an account of the event in their emailed newsletter to teachers, and! a student was also interviewed on ABC 774 Melbourne radio station. The audio, which was fed into the Internet Linking Project (IRLP) Discovery Reflector 9010, received 6 connections. EchoLink received 16 connections from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, England and the U.S.
To view The Herald Sun article, see: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24632605-2862,00.html
The Wireless Institute of Australia published a story covering the contact: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2008/20081110-1/index.php
The Victorian Space Science Education Centre also ran a short summary: http://www.vssec.vic.edu.au/resources/download/capcom/capcom30-1108.pdf
3. International Education Week - ARISS Contact Successful
Students from Maryland, North Carolina and Ecuador participated in a joint Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, November 14 as part of International Education Week (IEW). The contact was facilitated by telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. The students asked 17 questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Enloe Magnet School had three television stations on site and had interviews with radio stations and the district PR personnel. NASA distributed a press release on this contact. See: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/08-072.html
On Tuesday, November 18, the schools will tie in to a videoconference for another IEW session with an expert panel. Former astronaut Don Thomas will talk about space exploration and ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer will give an ARISS overview. Amateur radio operators from around the world will also participate, giving talks about amateur radio and their countries.
4. Japanese Club Talks to ISS Astronaut
Members of the Newcomers Club in Saitama, Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, November 15. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered all twenty questions posed to him by the 16 students, giving some answers in Japanese. Approximately 100 parents and guests attended the event. Media coverage included 3 newspapers, one television station and one radio station. To view the contact video, see: http://www.ariss.jp/Newcomers/video/Newcomers_contact.wmv
5. ARRL Publishes ARISS News
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) printed three Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) news items in its December issue of QST.
The "Happenings" column (page 54) had a story with a photo about the first few days of Richard Garriott's mission as the magazine went to press.
"This Just In -- In Brief" section (page 12) had a paragraph about Richard Garriott's mission.
A paragraph and photo were printed (page 100) about a revolving display that is circulating in the San Diego Public libraries. The display is about ham radio and includes the topics of satellites, ARISS, packet, moonbounce, and other ham radio modes.
6. NASA Birthday Celebration Includes ARISS Students
The Naples Daily News ran an article about a Florida school that was invited to participate in NASA's Digital Learning Network presentation of its 50th anniversary. Pine Ridge Middle, a NASA Explorer School, was one of ten schools to join in the celebration. Pine Ridge students took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, in February 2006. The story may be found at: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/nov/13/local-students-have-blast-celebra...
7. NASA Cites Article on ARISS Students
NASA Headquarters News Service picked up on an article about four students attending Humber College in Toronto who are building two communications systems to make contact with the space station. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Delegate Daniel Lamoureux was interviewed for the article. See: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jiaytfIhmwAy6LAnx0ey42_unrlg
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
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73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F nb2f at amsat dot org