SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-294.01 SumbandilaSat Designated as SO-67

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 294.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

October 21, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-294.01

AMSAT's OSCAR Number Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO announced he has received an e-mail sent to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors by Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, Secretary SA AMSAT requesting that an OSCAR number be allocated to SumbandilaSat.

In the e-mail Hans states that the amateur radio transponder on SumbandilaSat was successfully switched on from the ground by ZS6BPZ during the test phase on Sunday 18 October 2009 and that several QSOs were made through the transponder.

The amateur radio payload on SumbandilaSat was developed by SA AMSAT and incorporated by the University of Stellenbosch into the main pay- load. The SA AMSAT payload was officially coordinated through the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel with an uplink of 145.880 and downlink of 435.350 MHz

Bill replied, "Therefore, by the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA President, I hereby designate this latest amateur radio satellite as SumbandilaSat Oscar 67 or SO-67. On behalf of AMSAT-NA and the world's amateur radio satellite community I congratulate those responsible for building, testing and launching this new satellite. May it have a long and successful life."

[ANS thanks Bill Tynan, W3XO for the above information]

/EX