AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-147
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: [email protected]
In this edition:
* Dayton AMSAT Report * CQ Hall of Famer's * ISS Radio Reconfiguration * LVB Tracker Boards * ARISS Status Report for the Week of May 21, 2007
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.01 Dayton AMSAT Report
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 147.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 27, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.01
Once again the AMSAT booth was a target of satellite enthusiasts looking for the latest information on satellite activity. There was a model of Eagle and several of the modules being considered for the satellite on display. Our construction staff answered many inquiries and described actual tasks ahead to put this bird into orbit. A large banner indicating Eagle is in the building stage underlines the need for funding to be building as well. A Phase 3 E brochure was on the table to show its readiness to begin the long trek to the launching pad as well. Remember there is a direct relationship of funding vs. a successful launch. On Friday night, the joint AMSAT/TAPR dinner held under the wings of aircraft at the Air Force Museum was a great success. Comments after the dinner were positive and all enjoyed a great evening of table chatter and aircraft viewing. A special thanks to our contacts in Dayton for making the Hamvention run so smooth for those that assisted in the booth and presented at the SRO forums.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT 2007 Hamvention Committee for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.02 CQ Hall of Famer's
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 147.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 27, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.02
Richard Moseson, W2VU, Editor of CQ Amateur Radio Magazine announced CQ Hall of Fame Inductees for 2007 at the Dayton Hamvention. There are 15 inductees into the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame and three new members each of the DX Hall of Fame and the Contest Hall of Fame.
The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors individuals who:
1) Whether licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur radio; and/or ...
2) As licensed amateurs, have made significant contributions either to amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet.
Two radio amateurs were recognized for their contributions for amateur radio in space:
+ Bill McArthur KC5ACR - Astronaut who set various ham radio operating records from the International Space Station, including being the first person to complete WAS (Worked All States), WAC (Worked All Continents) and DXCC (DX Century Club) from orbit.
+ Farrell Winder, W8ZCF - Transmitted first SSTV signals to MIR space station. Active with MAREX (MIR Amateur Radio EXperiment) and Suitsat-1 planning teams.
AMSAT congratulates everyone recognized for their remarkable contributions to amateur radio!
[ANS thanks Richard Moseson, W2VU and CQ Amateur Radio Magazine for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.03 ISS Radio Reconfiguration
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 147.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 27, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.03
Kenneth, N5VHO, Project Engineer for the ARISS Program, reported this week, "Some short term reconfigurations to the Kenwood radio were attempted on May 21 with limited success."
Kenneth described progress aboard ISS as, "The preset channels that are used for many of the day to day operations are still inaccessible. The good news is that a few of the more commonly used configurations were able to be stored in the radio. One of the modes that was able to be partially restored was the packet system but the operations will be on 145.825 simplex. General voice communication as well as configurations to support school contacts were also saved."
The ARISS team continues to work on a solution for a full restoration of the radio which is required to return full functionality of the radio system. This process will require access to a computer system and certification of the required software. This request is being worked with all necessary international space agencies so it is thought that it will take a significant amount of time to get all parties involved satisfied before the actual restoration can occur.
In summary, the current ISS radio configuration being tested includes:
+ 145.825 MHz simplex is for packet operations only.
+ Voice frequencies have not changed (144.490 up and 145.800 down for ITU regions 2 & 3 or 145.200 up and 145.800 down for ITU region 1)
In closing, Kenneth wrote, "In the mean time, enjoy the packet operations when the crew is unavailable and keep listening just in case one of the ISS crew decide to give out a 'CQ' over your part of the world."
[ANS thanks Kenneth, N5VHO for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.04 LVB Tracker Boards
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 147.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 27, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.04
Gould, WA4SXM noted, "Howard Long's LVB Tracker boards were a huge success at Dayton. We are exploring offering more options in response to requests from people in Dayton."
Possible combinations are: 1) bare board with info CD 2) board and parts kit with LCD 3) built board 4) built board in an enclosure
Gould requests feedback regarding the configuration the satellite users would rather have:
+ The bare main board/CD would be probably $25 + Parts kit around $75 + Parts kit plus the board/CD around $100 + Built board around $120 + Unit in enclosure around $150
Gould said, "These are approximate prices, we need to explore further what the final cost will be. We will decide what to offer depending upon the responses received. Let me know what you would like to have available via e-mail at [email protected]."
Some of the CDs included with the LVB boards at Dayton did not have the parts list on them.
Kevin, WA6FWF who created the list, is now hosting the parts list document. So those of you that did not get the parts list on your CD, you can download from Kevin's site. Thanks, Kevin.
http://wa6fwf.ham-radio-op.net/Downloads/LVB_USparts.doc
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.05 ARISS Status Report for the Week of May 21, 2007
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 147.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 27, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-147.05 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 21, 2007
1. Canadian School Contact Successful
On Tuesday, May 15, students attending Barrhaven Public School in Ottawa, Ontario experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, answered 21 questions posed to her by 11 students. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers and received 19 connections from 5 countries. Audio was also webcast via NRC Canada and had 300 connections made by schools and other organizations. Approximately 500 witnessed the event including a representative from the Russian embassy. Corporate representatives also attended and have pledged support for future contacts. Some media outlets were present to report on the event.
2. NASA Explorer School Participates in ARISS Contact
Kenneth J. Carberry Intermediate School, a 2004 NASA Explorer School, located in Emmett, Idaho participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, May 16. Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, answered 16 questions posed to her by 10 students. Boise’s Channel 7, the Idaho Statesman, radio station KIDO, and another newspaper were present to cover the event. The Idaho Statesman posted a story to its website. See: http://www.idahostatesman.com/273/story/84570.html
KTVB Channel 7 News posted a video of the event to its site. See: http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=144532
3. Upcoming School Contacts
Toyon Elementary School in San Jose, California, a 2004 NASA Explorer School, has been slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, May 21 at 17:21 UTC. Students will determine what experiments are being conducted on the ISS. They will research the astronauts and their backgrounds and write compositions based on their findings. A contest will be held to select questions which will be asked of the astronaut. A poster contest will be held and the posters will be displayed around town. Students and their families will be invited to the school’s Family Science Event which will feature guest speakers and hands on activities.
EFLS Sainte-Marie SUARLEE in Suarlee, Namur, Belgium has been slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, May 29 at 07:22 UTC via the telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The Sainte Marie School is located in Suarlee, a village in Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. Sixty-five children, ages 3 - 12 attend the school. There are nineteen 10 – 12 year olds in the class that will participate in the question and answer session with the ISS. The students are excited to be participating in this contact and have been studying the distances between the planets of the solar system. They have also been using the Internet and newspapers to gather information about recent space activities.
NASA Johnson Space Center (Gilruth) Teacher to Teacher Workshop has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, May 31 at 17:32 UTC via the telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Approximately 250 K-12 teachers from across the country will be participating in many sessions throughout the two day workshop including Constructive Chaos, Correcting Misconceptions in Science, Engineering Your Way to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond-CEV, Hooked on Math, NASA STS-118 Engineering Challenge, NCLB: Past, Present, and Future, Analogical Reasoning: Real-World Examples for Scientific Concepts, Engineering Design Challenges Program, NASA in Every Child’s World, Robotics, and many more. The event is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Dept. of Education. U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Margaret Spellings and the AA for NASA Education, Dr. Joyce Winterton may attend.
4. ARISS at Dayton Hamvention
The Dayton Hamvention was held at the Hara Arena Complex in Dayton, Ohio over the May 18 – 20 weekend. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) both supported exhibit booths at the event. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) was also represented there, as several ARISS members gave presentations on the program and the SuitSat-2 project. The Dayton Hamvention is an internationally attended amateur radio convention that draws crowds of 25,000 annually.
ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer’s presentation, “ARISS and Future SuitSat Missions,” may be viewed on the AMSAT website. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Presentations/Dayton%20Hamvention/Dayton%20...
Accompanying videos on Lunar Exploration and SuitSat-1 Deployment may also be viewed: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Presentations/Dayton%20Hamvention/Lunar_Exp... http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Presentations/Dayton%20Hamvention/SuitSat Deploy (Short).wmv
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information]
/EX
73, This week's ANS Editor, Dee Interdonato, NB2F NB2F at amsat dot org
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