AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-259

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:

* New launch date for Netherlands Delfi-C3 * AO-51 Schedule for September Includes V/U FM, L/S FM, SSB, and L/U * AMSAT at the LA County Fair * Three Satellites Spur Activity on 145.825 MHz Packet * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARRL Announces 1296 MHz WAS #1 * ARISS Status Report for the Week of September 10, 2007

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.01 New launch date for Netherlands Delfi-C3

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.01

The Delfi-C3 team has been informed by its launch broker that the launch of Delfi-C3 has been moved to December, 2007.

The two major factors that have contributed to the postponement of the launch are weather and the Indian launch schedule. The weather effect on the launch is the typhoon season in India, which lasts from mid-October until December. The launch schedule is dependent on mission priorities.

In the meantime the Delfi-C3 team will continue to work on futher testing parts of the satellite and preparing for the operations phase. As soon as more information regarding the launch of Delfi-C3 is available it will be available on the Delfi-C3 website.

For downloads related to the press presentation (promotional movie, pictures, presentations) please go to http://www.delfic3.nl/press/

Delfi-C3 will have a telemetry downlink in the amateur satellite segment of the VHF amateur radio frequency band. Telemetry decoding software will be made available to participating amateur radio oper- ators and universities which allows them to decode and display real time telemetry. This software will allow for uploading received tele- metry date to the central Delfi-C3 ground station via the Internet for data processing. The Delfi-C3 team would like to invite all interested radio amateurs to receive, decode and forward telemetry data to the Delfi-C3 ground station.

Delfi-C3 includes a mode UV linear transponder. The satellite will be in telemetry only mode for approximately the first three months of the mission, after which it is switched to transponder mode.

Delfi-C3 Frequencies:

+ Primary telemetry downlink: 145.870 MHz 1200 Baud BPSK AX.25 400mW + Backup telemetry downlink: 145.930 MHz 1200 Baud BPSK AX.25 400mW + Linear transponder passband downlink: 145.880 - 145.920 MHz (inverting) 400mW PEP + Linear transponder passband uplink: 435.570 - 435.530 MHz + Transponder mode beacon: 145.870 MHz CW (10dB below transponder PEP)

[ANS thanks the Delfi-C3 team for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.02 AO-51 Schedule for September Includes V/U FM, L/S FM, SSB, and L/U

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.02

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.02

Drew, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA Vice President of Operations described the AO-51 Satellite Schedule for September. Drew said, "We are currently running 370 mW on TXA (435.150) and 630 mW on TXB (435.300). Power levels will continue to increase as eclipses get shorter, leading up to 10 weeks of continuous sun in early 2008."

Drew continued, "These are going to be interesting times. Keep in mind that anytime we have something other than telemetry running on TXA (i.e. L/U repeater), we may have to interrupt it occasionally for tele- metry and satellite maintenance. Our lead command station, Gould WA4SXM, has been doing an outstanding job of squeezing every last drop of power for the downlinks."

AO-51 just completed 5 days of Mode L/S FM repeater operation. The schedule for the remainder of September 2007 is as follows:

September 14 - September 17

FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, No PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 Telemetry Only

September 17 - September 21

SSB/FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.880 MHz USB Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 Telemetry Only

September 21 - October 1

FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, No PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM

FM Repeater, L/U (subject to interuption for satellite maintenance) Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM, No PL Tone Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.03 AMSAT at the LA County Fair

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.03

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.03

As part of the Amateur Radio Expo at the Los Angeles County Fair, AMSAT member Clint Bradford, K6LCS, is manning an AMSAT booth. The Expo runs weekends throughout the Fair.

"It's been an AMSAT week," Clint reports. "I gave my "Working AO-51 with your HT" presentation Friday night at the annual HAMCON conference in Torrance. We had 62 people in attendance, including Gordon West and Cathy Gardenias. And right after that presentation, we had a great pass of AO-51 that we worked from the top of the conference hotel's parking structure.

"Then on to the LA County Fair for all day Saturday and Sunday. Amateur Radio is well-represented here, with over 300 feet of booth space. Our booth is a 10x10 E-ZUP, with a slideshow running with photos and "stimulating" information. Handouts include a special "Fair Edition" of AMSAT News, and other material.

"If you are planning a trip to the Fair, we are set up outside between Commercial Buildings 4 and 6."

The Los Angeles County Fair runs September 7-30 this year. It is the largest county fair in the United States and retains its impressive ranking of fourth among the top 50 fairs and festivals in all of North America. The all-time record attendance was 1,612,097 over 24 days in 1991. Fair attendance in 2006 was the highest since that record-breaking year, clocking in at 1,427,656. For more Fair information, their Web site is... http://www.lacountyfair.com

[ANS thanks Clint, K6LCS for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.04 Three Satellites Spur Activity on 145.825 MHz Packet

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.04

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.04

The ARISS system aboard the International Space Station has frequently enabled its packet digipeater for APRS on 145.825 using the path of "VIA ARISS".

Additionally, by mid-September PCSAT-1 should enter a FULL SUN OPERATING PERIOD. This may present a period of a few weeks when we will have THREE APRS satellites flying in constellation: ISS, PCSAT-1, and ANDE, all operating 145.825 MHz.

This will assure over 18 passes per day. And since they all respond to the same path "VIA ARISS" then which satellite is in view is transparent to the user. Two-hop paths via ARISS,ARISS might also be possible.

Bob, WB4APR noted, "In order for the global APRS internet system to capture all these packets, we do need volunteer ground stations to place an IGATE to monitor all packets on 145.825 MHz downlinks. In many cases, a simple omni antenna connected to APRS is all that is needed."

Successful packet digipeating on 145.825 can be seen on either: http://www.ariss.net or http://pcsat.aprs.org

Bob added, "We are also working on getting GO-32 enabled for APRS operation at 9600 baud. But since it uses different uplink and downlink fequencies, it cannot be used for multiple-APRS-satellite operations."

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.05 Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.05

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.05

+ Hotel reservations in the reserved block of rooms for the AMSAT Symposium in Pittsburgh are being quickly booked up. This is a reminder to visit the Symposium web page and make your reservation.

+ Robert, G8ATE and John, G7HIA will be using the special call sign GB5OSO starting on the 4th October for one month to celebrate the 50th Anni- versary of the launch of the first earth orbiting satellite SPUTNIK ONE on that date in 1957. All of the available analogue satellites will be used as time permits. A special QSL card will be available after the event.

+ Special congratulations to Beth (KD5CAA) and Kenneth Ransom (N5VHO ARISS/ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer) on the birth of their daughter Angela Hope on September 10, 2007! Everyone is reported doing well.

+ John, LA2QAA, administrator of the AO-7 resource page reminds satellite operators of these AO-7 pages: http://www.planetemily.com/ao7/ao7log.php

http://www.observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/howmuchpowerisenough.ht m

http://www.observations.biz/Observations_from_Norway/how_much_power_is_enoug h_pt2.htm

While no prizes or certificates are currently being offered for the number of contacts via AO-7 the Resource Page includes an activity log from active stations on the satellite. In recent weeks we have received a report of the milestone of the 2000th QSO via AO-7 by G1WPR. F3ZD reports

his AO-7 log since May, 1975 has 4276 QSOs via AO-7. The current leader in the logged number of contacts on the Resource Page is K3SZH.

+ The operating schedule for the FO-29 satellite is available on-line at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/m-arai/gkz/satinfo/fo29e.htm

+ Clive, G3CWV reports from Hitchin, North Hertfordshire, in the UK that nothing has been heard from OSCAR-11. The satellite is operational in sunlight but the current eclipses ended on August 20. Prior experience with OSCAR-11 suggest that operation should have been restored at this point. Clive would appreciate any reception reports of the satellite. Please post to AMSAT-BB or directly to g3cwv@amsat.org. The frequency of the VHF beacon is 145.825 MHz, mode FM. For more information see: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew.

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.06 ARRL Announces 1296 MHz WAS #1

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.06

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.06

Al Ward, W5LUA, of Allen, Texas, is the first person to achieve the ARRL's Worked All States (WAS) on 1296 MHz, making him 1296 MHz WAS #1. Ward first started on his pursuit January 25, 1977, with his first 1296 MHz contact with Leroy May, W5HN (SK). His 30 year quest ended last week, with confirmed contacts with Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, giving Ward his last three needed states, thanks to Paul Perryman's, WA5WCP, EME DXpedition.

"I couldn't have done this without Paul," Ward said. "Also, thanks to Ron Roche, K0ALL, and Barry Malowanchuk, VE4MA, in North Dakota for number 47 in August. Without them, it just wouldn't have been possible." After collecting his 50th QSL card, Ward drove from his home in Texas to Little Rock, Arkansas so ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, could verify his cards and complete his WAS paperwork. "Verifying QSL cards from 30 years of activity brought back a lot of memories of several stations active on 1296, many who are Silent Keys now," Harrison said.

[ANS thanks the ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 37 for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-259.07 ARISS Status Report for the Week of September 10, 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 259.07

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

September 16, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-259.07

1. Successful Contact with Gail Borden Public Library

Youth from Elgin, Illinois experienced an ARISS contact on Wednesday, September 5. Astronaut Clay Anderson, KD5PLA, fielded 20 questions put to him by 16 children visiting the Gail Borden Public Library. The contact was held in conjunction with the multi-media educational exhibit "SPACE: Dare to Dream." Approximately 100 people witnessed the contact, including the mayor of Elgin and three city council members. Two admin- istrators from School District U-46 attended, as did reporters from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier newspapers. Children were interviewed pre-contact by WGN Radio and the event was reported on by WBBM News Radio 780 in Chicago. Video was also streamed over the internet. The audio from this event was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, and received 16 connections from 6 countries and 3 repeater nodes. Five connections were also made to the IRLP Dis- covery Reflector 9010. The Courier News ran an article covering the event: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/544694,3_1_EL06_A1SPACE_ S1.article

To view the Daily Herald story, complete with slide show and audio, see: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=32229

2. Successful Contact with M. L. King Academy

An ARISS contact was completed with the M. L. King Academy (formerly Alexander Macomb Academy) in Mount Clemens, Michigan on Wednesday, September 12. 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.

3. Successful Contact with Westbrook Intermediate School

An ARISS event with Westbrook Intermediate School in Clear Creek, Texas took place on Friday, September 14 via the telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Westbrook is a gifted and talented (GT) magnet school with a program known as Webster Academy - Visions in Education (WAVE), which started at Webster Academy in 1996. This GT magnet brings together over 500 gifted and talented students from across the district to participate in a unique program design. One of the opportunities available to WAVE students is an amateur radio license class. In partnership with the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club, over 300 students have earned their ham radio license over the last 8 years. At any time, there are approximately 100 hams in attendance at the school. Students and teachers have discussed the ARISS contact in their classes, and all students have participated in the development of questions for Clay Anderson.

4. Upcoming School Contacts

Mitchell Elementary School, a NASA Explorer School (NES), in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been slated for an ARISS contact. The event is planned for Monday, September 17 at 13:39 UTC. The use of Amateur Radio provides for the integration of technology, math, science, geography, writing, reading, and speaking through hands on applications of these concepts. Amateur radio operators in Ann Arbor will present talks and demonstrations covering these concepts prior to the actual contact with the ISS. Through this experience, students will gain an understanding of amateur radio technology and it's potential. Students will visit websites to view and listen to previous conversations with the astronauts. Mitchell Elementary will download and install tracking software onto the school lab computers to follow the space station as it passes by on the day of the contact. Using computer software,

students will write essays explaining why they should be chosen to fly on the ISS. Local, state and federal officials will be invited to attend the event. Television, radio, newspapers, and the internet will cover the contact. The audio from this event will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, and into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

Pueblo Magnet High School in Tucson, Arizona plans to participate in an ARISS contact on Friday, September 21 at 15:04 UTC. The school formed an Amateur Radio Club last year to involve students in math and science. Dona- tions of radio equipment were made by the local Catalina and Green Valley Amateur Radio Clubs. Five students have already earned their Technician licenses and one has upgraded to General Class. Science, art, and the economic departments are involved in this endeavor; the Special Education department has also been included - some students who will participate in this event are autistic. Eighty percent of the students come from econom- ically disadvantaged families. Local and national media coverage is anti- cipated. The audio from this event will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, and into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

5. ARISS - Ashland Greenwood Contact Receives Publicity

Omaha Newstand.com ran an article on the ARISS contact with Ashland Greenwood High School. The contact took place on August 29. See: http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18782692&BRD=2712&PAG=461... =556245&rfi=8

[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, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org