AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-252

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

******************* AMSAT 2007 Space Symposium *************************

The Wireless Association of South Hills Amateur Radio Club announces the 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott Hotel on Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28, 2007. The AMSAT web team has posted informational pages on the AMSAT web site. You can find the announcement with many links at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2007/index.php

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In this edition: * September 11th * AMSAT September 15th Deadline * OSCAR 7 The Old/New Satellite * ARISS Status - 3 September 2007

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-252.01 September 11th

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 252.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. September 9, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-252.01

As amateur radio operators, we all know "when all else fails, there is still amateur radio!" September 11th is a prime example of preparedness. President Bush has declared September as Emergency Preparedness Month and we share in responsibilities to our communities in times of communications disasters. I, for one, was directly involved with 9/11 emergency comms on a professional level and admired that during this time amateurs were providing parallel comms. I wasn't home for five days to insure emergency communications were in place to serve the needs of the area and the organization I work for. Keep those batteries charged and know what frequencies to monitor locally and be prepared to drop in an assist. This is true for any area of the world you may be at when something can suddenly happen.

[ANS thanks Dee, NB2F, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-252.02 AMSAT September 15th Deadline

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 252.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. September 9, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-252.02

Ballots must be received in Silver Spring by September 15th. This is for the BOD election. Also, this is the deadline for those that are attending the Pittsburgh Symposium to obtain special discounted rates. You can save a few dollars by registering before September 15th for the activities planned at the Symposium. Please plan early to attend and enjoy all that is offered. See the attached headline for more info.

[ANS thanks Martha for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-252.03 OSCAR-7 The Old/New Satellite

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 252.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. September 9, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-252.03

AO-7 is one of the early satellites amateurs had to work with. Since its miraculous emergence from a battery problem, it has been an available "other" satellite to use. It has transponders on it so SSB is the normal mode of ops with several QSO's allowed at a time. Numerous reports of its switching between mode A & B have been verified. It has a much larger footprint than AO-51 and is in view much longer. Dust off those mode A receivers (HF) and try to make a contact on this bird. This will prepare you for the upcoming HEO satellites Phase 3 E and Eagle. I was told that many CQ's go unanswered for lack of operators listening. It may take a little more effort to use, however, it's more fun and rewarding.

[ANS thanks John, LA2QAA, for the above reminder]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-252.04 ARISS Status - 3 September 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 252.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. September 9, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-252.04

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report September 3, 2007

1. ARISS - Amagasaki Contact Successful

On Tuesday, August 28, Amagasaki Child Science Hall in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Astronaut Clay Anderson, KD5PLA, answered twenty questions put to him by seventeen students. The contact was organized in part to help celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Amagasaki City. Children studied the history of Amagasaki, its economic growth and the environmental issues associated with that growth. Through this contact, students learned about space and were able to practice their English. More information will follow when available.

2. Successful ARISS Contact with Ashland Greenwood High School

On Wednesday, August 29, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place between Ashland Greenwood High School in Ashland, Nebraska and Clay Anderson, KD5PLA, aboard the ISS. Anderson, an Ashland Greenwood alumnus, answered 24 questions posed to him by 8 students, as twenty-one people gathered around the radio. The contact was broadcast on the school’s cable television station so that all 839 students could listen in. It was also available on the school’s website and publicized to the parents. Reporters from three television stations, three newspapers and one radio station covered the event. Twenty-four ham stations from 7 countries connected to EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, including 4 repeater nodes. IRLP received 10 connections from the U.S.A. and Scotland and 7 connections to the streaming audio on its website.

Video of the event may be viewed on the News radio 1110 KFAB website. See: http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=159377&...

The Ashland Greenwood Public School website posted this story: http://news.agps.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/08/28/46d5ea4755cdd

The Lincoln ARC posted news clips from Channel 8 and Channel 10/11. See: http://www.146760.net/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1188431470/0

The Journal Star, the Omaha World-Herald and KETV also ran articles: http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/08/30/news/local/doc46d60ab04e864109929... http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10119034

http://www.ketv.com/technology/14006509/detail.html

3. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for M. L. King Academy (formerly Alexander Macomb Academy) in Mount Clemens, Michigan on Tuesday, September 11 at 16:06 UTC. The academy is a Title 1 school located in a suburb of Detroit and has a population of approximately 66% African American and 30% Caucasian students. Nearly 80% of the students and their families are economically disadvantaged. Students in grades K- 6 will study space and the history of spaceflight. They will participate in related hands on activities and will use several resources available on the NASA education website. As a result of their space science research, lower grades will create posters and upper grades will produce Power Point presentations. All students will be able to witness the contact through the school’s television equipment. Media outlets have been invited to report on the event. The audio from this event will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, as well as being fed into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) event has been planned for Westbrook Intermediate School in Clear Creek, Texas on Friday, September 14 at 18:40 UTC via the telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Westbrook is a gifted and talented magnet school with a program known as Webster Academy – Visions in Education (WAVE), which started at Webster Academy in 1996. The audio from this event will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, as well as being fed into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

4. Article on Richmond Community Center Contact

The Queens Courier ran an article on the August 7 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with the One Stop Richmond Community Center in New York. See: http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/regional_news/queens_c...

5. Nanjing – ARISS Contact Publicity

On Sunday, August 26, China’s Nanjing No. 3 High School in Nanjing, Jiangsu participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact – the first for China. It received extensive media coverage. Video of the contact may be found at: http://tech.sina.com.cn/d/bn/2007-08-26/19421289.shtml

A photo report may be viewed here: http://en.chinafotopress.com/index/onegroup?gid=1717212

For articles covering the event, see: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-08/27/content_6058744.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/27/content_6608493.htm http://english.sina.com/life/p/1/2007/0826/123028.html

[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