AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-133

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:

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In this edition: * 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting - Call for paper * LVB Trackers Boards Available at AMSAT Booth in Dayton * Eagle 70cm Receiver Progress * AMSAT Does Well at Smithsonian Space Day Event * Project OSCAR is Included in New Smithsonian Book * ARISS Status - 07 May 2007

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.01 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting - Call for papers

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.01

This is the first call for papers for the 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting to be held October 25-28, 2007 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Proposals for papers, symposium presentations, and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite program. An emphasis for this year is an educational outreach to middle and high School students. In particular, papers on the following topics are solicited:

+ Students & Education + ARISS + AO-51 + P3E + Eagle + Other satellite-related topics.

We request a one-page abstract by June 1, 2007. Camera ready copy on paper or in electronic form will be due by September 1, 2007 for inclusion in the printed symposium proceedings.

Abstracts and papers should be sent to: Daniel Schultz N8FGV by e-mail to: n8fgv@amsat.org.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT 2007 Symposium Committee for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.02 LVB Trackers Boards Available at AMSAT Booth in Dayton

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.02

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.02

Howard Long, G6LVB has graciously provided his LVB Tracker (Rotor Controller) Boards for AMSAT to offer at Dayton this year. Kevin, WA6FWF, has compiled a parts list for the US suppliers: JAMECO, MOUSER & DIGIKEY. These are the bare boards.

These boards go between your computer using a serial or USB connector and the Yaesu 5400/5500 rotor controller box. The most common tracking soft-ware can then control your rotors to track the satellites. It takes about an evening to build and test the boards. The LCD display is a nice feature that shows the current position of the rotors. The boards will allow you to program the PIC processor onboard, and Howard's software checks for a stalled rotor.

Also included is a CD with all of the LVB documentation from Howard and the parts list from Kevin with the package.

Plan on attending the Thursday night Pizza and Suds party at Marion's.

The AMSAT Forum Friday 11-2 has an outstanding list of speakers and topics of interest to all AMSAT members:

+ Moderator: Barry Baines, WD4ASW, AMSAT-NA Corporate Secretary

+ Rick Hambly, W2GPS, President, AMSAT-NA "Summary of AMSAT-NA Activities in 2007"

+ Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, AMSAT-DL President and Bob McGwier, N4HY, AMSAT-NA VP - Engineering, "Phase 3-Express: An UpMay 13"

+ Jim Sanford, WB4GCS, EAGLE Project Manager "Eagle Status UpMay 13"

+ Andrew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA VP-Operations and Gould Smith, WA4SXM, AO-51 Command Station, "AMSAT-NA Satellite Operations and AO-51 UpMay 13"

+ Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-NA Director-Human Space Flight, "ARISS and Future SuitSat Missions"

Visit the outdoor satellite demonstration area to observe and make satellite contacts.

We will have a large number of new items at the AMSAT booth, as well as information and a chance to meet and talk with AMSAT Officers and BOD members.

The "Under the Wings" Banquet will be held in the Air Force Museum. Ticket reservations can be made online at the AMSAT Store, follow the link from the front page of the amsat.org web site.

Reserved tickets will be available for pickup at the AMSAT booth (#444-448) all day Friday, and at the Museum. Reserved tickets can only be purchased until end of business Monday, May 14, 2007 We must give the museum a final count on Tuesday morning.

There will be no ticket sales at either the AMSAT or TAPR booth Friday, this is different than past years.

Get online and make your reservations now for a great meal, great ambiance and great kinship.

Don't be left out of THE Friday night event. See the AMSAT web site for additional information.

See you at Dayton May 18-20, 2007.

[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.03 Eagle 70cm Receiver Progress

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.03

Jim Sanford, WB4GCS the Eagle Project Manager announced this week that the first prototype of the Eagle satellite 70cm receiver became operational this week. Juan Rivera, WA6HTP and team moved from troubleshooting to testing mode. Come by the AMSAT Booths at Dayton and see the operational 70cm receiver. Be sure and check out all the design, peer review, troubleshooting testing and operational areas of the U-Band Receiver on EaglePedia to see what it takes to produce a piece of the Eagle satellite. Congratulations to the U-Band Receiver team.

[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.04 AMSAT Does Well at Smithsonian Space Day Event

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.04

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.04

AMSAT and ARISS enjoyed a successful day at the Smithsonian Museum's Space Day held at the National Air and Space Museum Saturday, May 5.

A one-half scale model of the Eagle satellite can be seen in these photos: http://n4hy.smugmug.com/gallery/2819832#150794625

Bob, N4HY, AMSAT Director and VP Engineering, vistited the event and wrote, "The crowd was large, enthusiastic, and [with all the young people present it shows] that interest in space is NOT limited to people who are old enough to remember who Neil Armstrong is. They are not exclusively American. They are `every man` or `every person`".

An ARISS contact was scheduled with Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, and twelve children asked her one question each. The audio was fed into the EchoLink servers and received 14 connections from 7 countries, including 2 repeater nodes.

In describing his photos at ... http://n4hy.smugmug.com/gallery/2819832#150818569 ... Bob says, "The young man in this photo had a great time talking to Sunny Williams (as did the others in the photos) and the T Shirt you see him wearing while standing with his beaming family was his winning design in the T shirt contest. The parents were jumping up and down clapping, crying their eyes out, and in general, just beside themselves with emotion watching their kids talk to Sunny. I understand why Rick can't even begin telling the story without breaking up."

The event included astronaut appearances, hands-on activities, and model rocket building. Local robotics teams demonstrated their projects with a robot petting zoo. Visitors were also able to view the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Space Day draws approximately 10,000 visitors to the Air and Space Museum annually.

Congratulations and thanks go out to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and the entire ARISS, SAREX and AMSAT teams for this super event!

[ANS thanks Bob, N4HY for above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.05 Project OSCAR is Included in New Smithsonian Book

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.05

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.05

Perry Klein, W3PK noted this week that a new book by Martin Collins, "After Sputnik - 50 Years of the Space Age", mentions Project OSCAR. It was published by Smithsonian books.

Dr. Collins is a curator in the Space History section of the National Air and Space Museum and has been AMSAT's main contact in getting amateur satellite artifacts on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center and the Museum of American History.

[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-133.06 ARISS Status - 07 May 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 133.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 13, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-133.06

1. Successful ARISS Contact in Italy

On Saturday, May 5, Liceo Scientifico Statale “Lorenzo Respighi” in Piacenza, Italy experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, answered 11 questions posed to her by eleven students, as an audience of approximately 150 looked on. An ARISS mentor set up live streaming audio on the AMSAT Italia website. Five newspapers and the television stations Telelibertà, Teleducato, Telecolor and RAI covered the event. This is the first school in Italy with an amateur radio station, callsign IZ4JSC, which was established for education, instruction and training.

2. German School Contact Successful

Students from Erweiterte Realschule Weiskirchen in Weiskirchen, Saarland, Germany participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, May 5. Eighteen students posed one question each to Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, as 50 people gathered around the group to listen in. Two newspapers, “Saarbrücker Zeitung” and “Hochwald Rundschau,” covered the event.

3. Santa Rosa Junior College Contact Successful

Santa Rosa Junior College located in Santa Rosa, California, held its annual open house, “Day Under the Oaks,” on Sunday, May 6. Demonstrations were provided to the public including computer model building, planetarium shows and tours of the ARISS W6SRJ telebridge station. In addition, a robotics competition was held. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was also scheduled as one of the activities during this event. Ten students spoke with astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. They were able to ask 14 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. There were several hundred people in attendance. As part of the “Day Under the Oaks” event, ARISS mentors handed out information packets to over 40 teachers. A north San Francisco newspaper, the Press Democrat, covered this very successful event.

4. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Barrhaven Public School in Ottawa, Ontario on Tuesday, May 15 at 15:27 UTC. The school is forming a space club which is open to first through fifth graders. Through this club, students will learn about the Space Station via the internet and guest speakers. They will track the ISS and plot its course. They will learn how to speak on the radio and work on related art projects such as posters, banners and murals. A contest will be held to create a mission patch which will be used on T shirts for the children. The media will be notified of the event. The audio for this event will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers.

Kenneth J. Carberry Intermediate School located in Emmett, Idaho has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, May 16 at 18:52 UTC. Students will research and create a Space Program timeline. They will research ISS astronauts and the countries involved with the Space Station, and determine the research being carried out onboard. They will also design posters to announce the upcoming event.

5. Astronaut Training Status

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) review session has been scheduled for astronaut Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ, on Tuesday, May 15. Chamitoff is scheduled to be a flight engineer on Expedition 18, flying to the ISS on STS-127 in 2008.

6. ARRL Article on ARISS School Contacts

On May 4, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a web story on the last four Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts, entitled “Youngsters in Europe, US Get Front-Row Seats to Space via Ham Radio.” See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/05/04/101/?nc=1

7. ARRL Makes Donation to Columbus Project

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a story covering the donation made to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station – Europe for its Columbus antennas. See: http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7423

[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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org