AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-034
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:
In this edition: * AO-16 Status * AMSAT STraight key nite winners * ISS Cross Band Repeater * DC Area AMSAT Gathering * OSCAR 11 Report * ARISS Status - 28 January 2008 * ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed * ARISS INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN MOVES INTO NEW POSITION AT NASA
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.01 AO-16 Status
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.01
AO-16 is now alive and well. Many contacts going through the previously packet only satellite. Uplink on 145.920 and downlink 437.026. Its downlink is best heard in USB mode since it is a doubleside band, reduced carrier transmitter. Thanks to someone that assisted in assembling this satellite for remembering a simple command to link tx and rx for direct communications not using the failed onboard computer.
[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.02 AMSAT Straight key nite winners
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.02
Many thanks to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2008, held in memory of Haruo Yoneda, ex-JA1ANG.
Only two linear-transponder satellites were available this year, AO-7 and VO-52. Two enterprising hams, W6ASL and WA8SME, didn't let that stop them: they used audio oscillators to work each other through the FM transponder of AO-51. That counts too!
The silence of FO-29 notwithstanding, a record 15 amateurs each received at least one Best Fist nomination from someone they worked. The increase in European activity was especially welcome. This year's winners are:
Jay Garlitz, AA4FL Sergei Pyatygin, ER1AN Laszlo Kekes, HA5FB Ron Gorzynski, K8DID Frank Wiesenmeyer, K9CIS Scott Newell, KA8HOK Keith O'Brien, N4ZQ Allen Mattis, N5AFV Al Ozias, N7EQF Rolf Moberg, OH6KXL Andy Macallister, W5ACM Jim Van Striver, W6ASL Mike Herr, WA6ARA Mark Spencer, WA8SME Neven Mrduljas, 9A5YY
Congratulations to all. See you next year!
[ANS Thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.03 ISS Repeater
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.03
The ISS cross band repeater is on and functioning as of this announcement. It is on Uplink - 437.800FM Downlink - 145.800FM. It is quite strong and can be heard well on a simple setup. I read a report that "someone" called CQ and there was no -one coming back to him. Listen and give it a shot.
[ANS thanks Tony, K2MO, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.04 DC Area AMSAT Gathering
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.04
Meeting Announcement-AMSAT-DC
We will meet in Pioneer Hall at the Historical Electronics Museum. Same place as last year, same time as last year, for at least one more time. If you can't make Dayton or the Symposium, plan to attend this great gathering.
Clip and share! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2008 AMSAT-DC MEETING AND SPACE SEMINAR
WHO: YOU are invited! Amateur radio operators, students, educators and the public are all invited.
WHAT: Talks, demos, tutorials and socializing about amateur satellites and high-altitude balloon experiments in the greater mid-Atlantic USA area. A full day of activities!
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 2008, starting at 11:00 A.M. local.
WHERE: Historical Electronics Museum (HEM) at 1745 West Nursery Road, Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (near BWI airport). In Pioneer Hall. HEM directions at http://www.hem-usa.org/
WHY: Fun, education, public service, training, cool stuff, and more fun.
HOW: Talk-in on 146.760 MHz (107.2 Hz PL on some receiver sites)
HOST: Pat Kilroy, [email protected] or [email protected]
WEB: Check the AMSAT-DC page http://patkilroy.com/amsat-dc/ for late breaking news.
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Notes:
Please download the AMSAT-DC-2008 flier from the AMSAT-DC web page, print copies and share them widely, like at a club meeting, at a hamfest, in a public library, in a school, and other visible places.
Meeting preparations are being conducted on the amsat-dc e-mail list. Go to the link at top of the AMSAT-DC page to subscribe.
This year will feature something new, a Pot Luck luncheon! You may bring a favorite dish to share. See the AMSAT-DC web page for additional info or please contact the host, yours truly, at [email protected].
Free paved parking is available a short walk from the museum front door. Like before, monetary donations will be accepted to help offset the associated meeting and seminar costs. Like last year, we'd like to in turn donate a portion to the museum for the use of their facility.
Outrageous fun, learning, and camaraderie are in store for you.
See you there!
73,
Pat Kilroy, N8PK AMSAT Area Coordinator Maryland-DC Area
[ANS thanks Pat, N8PK, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.05 OSCAR 11 Report
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.05
OSCAR-11 Report for 26 January 2008
This report covers the period from 19 December 2007 to 26 January 2008. After two months of silence from 20 November, when eclipses started, the satellite resumed transmissions on 22 January 2008.
At the time of writing signals are consistantly strong, although the polarisation is very variable, with a cycle time of around 20 seconds, causing deep fading if the antenna polarisation is fixed. This suggests that the satellite may be tumbling.
If the current watchdog cycle continues uninterrupted, the 145.826 MHz beacon should switch off around 01 February and on again around 11 February. However, if low battery voltage causes the watchdog timer to reset, then the beacon should switch on 21 days later.
I am indebted to Peter ZL3TC, Mark KU7Z, Gene WA4UKX, SWL Mark in CM87, Ron G4PGY, Julian WB9YIG, John HB2HSH and Edward BX1AD for their reports. Many thanks.
The satellite is now in continuous sunlight, and this is expected to continue until mid March, when eclipses will start again. Unfortunately eclipses will then become a permanent feature of the orbit, which is likely to prevent any periods of sustained operation after March.
When telemetry was last received it showed that one of the solar arrays had failed, and there was a large unexplained current drain on the main 14 volt bus. After 23 years in orbit the battery has undergone around 100,000 partial charge/discharge cycles, and observations suggest that it cannot power the satellite during eclipses, or sometimes during periods of poor solar attitude.
The Beacon frequency is 145.826 MHz. (AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry)
Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website. If you need to know what OSCAR-11 should sound like, there is a short audio clip for you to hear. There is an example of the latest telemetry received from the satellite. The website contains an archive of news & telemetry data. It also contains details about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture. There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry. The URL is http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/
73 Clive G3CWV
[ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.06 ARISS Status - 28 January 2008
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.06
1. ARISS School Contacts Status
Due to crew schedules onboard the ISS, no Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts are planned at this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122 launches in early February.
2. STS-120 Crew Talks with Italian Students
On January 22, STS-120 crewmembers visited “La Sapienza” University in Rome where approximately 600 students from several universities and high schools gathered. Among those in attendance were students from the schools that participated in ARISS contacts with astronauts Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA, and Clay Anderson, KD5PLA. The crew gave a presentation on their mission which included educational activities, and showed videos to their audience. The complete story and photos of the event have been posted on the ARISS Web site. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2008_01_25.htm
3. Astronaut Training Status
On Wednesday, January 23, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, participated in a simulation of an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact. The Kenwood D700 radio in the JSC Service Module mockup was used for the contact. He spoke with the training support team who participated as students, asking Oleg questions about space and his visit on the ISS. Kononenko is scheduled as a flight engineer on Expedition 17.
A basic Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) operations and school contact class was held with Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, and Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, on January 24. Wakata is scheduled to fly to the ISS on 15A (STS-119) toward the end of 2008 as Flight Engineer-2 during Expedition 18. Noguchi is the backup for that flight and could participate as part of the 6 man ISS crew operations in 2010.
Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ, has been scheduled for an ARISS training session at JSC on Tuesday, January 29. Barratt is a backup crewmember for Expedition 18.
4. ARISS Looking for New Telebridge Stations
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team is currently looking to expand its telebridge station network. The proposal has been announced on the ARISS Web site. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article, “ARISS Team Looking for Ground Stations,” which may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/01/22/100/?nc=1
The ARRL Letter also ran the announcement. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/08/0125/
5. ARRL Article on JPL Amateur Radio Club Anniversary
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article, “Jet Propulsion Lab's Amateur Radio Club Marks 50 Years in Space.” See: http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7957
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.07 ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.07
ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed
ANDE Awards have been mailed the last week of January.Details are available here: http://www.ande-deorbit.com/status.shtml
In case you did not sign up yet, there is still a chance to do so: http://www.ande-deorbit.com/submission.shtml
Mailing may take a week or so, but you should expect them one of these days in your mailbox !
For those interested, on the website there is the full overview of all telemetry of the final days (incl. the very last one, by JA0CAW). Also all the TLE (kepler sets) since launch: http://www.ande-deorbit.com/ande_all_tle.txt
[ANS thanks Henk, PA3GUO for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.08 ARISS INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN MOVES INTO NEW POSITION AT NASA
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.08 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 3, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-034.08
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, was named recently as the NASA Headquarters Chief Engineer for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). ESMD is NASA's initiative to develop a sustained human presence on the moon, promote space exploration and serve as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond. As ESMD Chief Engineer, he provides systems engineering advice and consultation to resolve some of the most demanding and complex technical and organizational challenges within the Exploration Program.
Bauer and Rosalie White, K1STO, are the two ARISS delegates for the US. He is the Vice President of Human Spaceflight Programs for the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. Bauer was a 2006 nominee for the Rotary National Award for Space Acheivement, bestowed upon him for "his tireless work to engage the youth of our nation and the world in the exploration of space through unique direct communications made possible by Amateur Radio on human spaceflight missions."
Bauer is the recipient of NASA's 2002 Outstanding Leadership Medal, the 1997 NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal -- bestowed for Pioneering Efforts in Spaceborne GPS -- and NASA's 1992 Exceptional Service Medal (for agency contributions in GN&C). He received the Silver Snoopy Award, the highly prestigious NASA Human Spaceflight Awareness award, in 1992.
For more information about ARISS, please visit the ARISS Web page http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm.
[ANS Thanks, ARRL news for the above item] /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