AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-189

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: [email protected]

In this edition: * Call for papers - 2007 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting * D-Star Satellite Contact * Simsat upcoming flights need assistance * Jim Sanford Seminar Speaker * AO-51 New Schedule * ARISS Status

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.01 Call for papers - 2007 ARRL/TAPR Digital Conference

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. July 8, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.01

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 26th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 28-30, 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut. These papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31, 2007. Please send papers to:

Maty Weinberg ARRL 225 Main St Newington, CT 06111

or you can make your submission via e-mail to: [email protected]

Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights.

[ANS thanks Steve, WB8IMY, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.02 D-Star Satellite Contact

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.02

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

July 8, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.02

The first D-Star via Satellite contact has been made using AO-27. See http://www.ao27.org for more information.

[ANS thanks Michael Wyrick for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.03 Simsat upcoming Flights need assistance

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.03

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

July 8, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.03

I AM LOOKING FOR AN AMSAT MEMBER to help set up and operate a ground station at the AMSAT Lab in Pocomoke City, Md. The task is to receive simple telemetry and to participate in the radio net covering one or both high-altitude balloon missions carrying Amateur Radio on Tuesday, July 24 and on Wednesday, July 25.

For lots of background information about the SimSat-3A and SimSat-3B flights please go to

The SimSat Announcement Page at: http://www.patkilroy.com/simsat

See also the complete Task List for operators to participate either from home or at our launch site on the eastern shore.

What do you think?

A ground station at the AMSAT Lab supporting a SimSat flight would provide good, positive visibility to AMSAT.

Please give me a call and I'd be glad to explain what can be done at the lab, however simple. The event will be quite educational.

Could be quite a lot of fun too!

[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.04 Jim Sanford Seminar Speaker

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.04

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

July 8, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.04

AMSAT Eagle Project Manager Jim Sanford, WB4GCS will be a seminar speaker at the The ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention to be held on Saturday, September 22, 2007 at the Sheraton Independence Hotel in Independence, Ohio. Sponsor tables and the sign-in table open at 9:00 a.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 11:30 a.m.

Seminar only tickets are $25 for advance sale and $30 the day of the event. A full ticket including seminars, buffet, a free ticket for the prize drawing and Wouff Hong is only $50. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.2007gldc.org You can pay by check or credit card online or follow directions for mailing your payment in.

Even if you're not a ARRL member, please attend the convention to see what ARRL has to offer. Discount coupons will be available to attendees for use at the Cleveland Hamfest being held the next day on Sunday, September 23rd.

[ANS thanks Jim, WB4CGS, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.05 AO-51 New Schedule

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.05

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

July 8, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.05

The July schedule has been posted at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php .

July 2007 AO-51 (AMSAT Echo) Schedule

July 1 until July 31, subject to modification

July 1 - July 9 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Digital, V/U, Telemetry Only Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 Telemetry

July 10 - July 12 FM Repeater, L/S Uplink: 1268.700 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlink: 2401.200 MHz FM

July 13 - July 23 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Digital, V/U, Telemetry Only Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 Telemetry

July 24 - July 26 SSB/FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.880 MHz USB Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM

July 27 - July 31 FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, NO PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Digital, V/U, Telemetry Only Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 Telemetry

We had several requests for normal V/U repeater mode for various operating demonstrations and grid expeditions, but we also managed to fit in a few other modes in between the requested V/U dates. We do have one special request. During the SSB/FM cross-mode repeater July 24-26, please restrict your uplink power to reasonable levels. Last time there were some issues with very strong stations causing distortion on the downlink.

73 and enjoy, Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP of Operations

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-189.06 ARISS Status - 25 June 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 189.06

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

July 6, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-189.06

ARISS Status Report for the week of July 6, 2007

1. Upcoming School Contact

The Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska has been scheduled for an ARISS contact on Saturday, July 7. The center engages Elementary and Middle school students in space exploration, science, math and technology. Home schooled children will also be invited to participate in the contact and there is a possibility of reaching rural students through a School Access video conference. Workshops are planned prior to the contact to introduce children to the ISS, its mission and the crew's responsibilities. Students will participate in poster and essay competitions related to space exploration. Media will be notified and coverage is expected on both a local and national level.

2. Astronaut Training Status

Expedition 17 backup crew members Nicole Stott, KE5GJN, and Tim Kopra, KE5LUT, participated in an ARISS training session on Wednesday, June 27. Using a Kenwood D700, the astronauts answered questions posed to them by the trainers, simulating a school contact aboard the ISS and allowing them to familiarize themselves with the operation of the radio system.

3. ARRL QST Articles

The American Radio Relay League's July QST included several news items about the ARISS program:

+ An "In Brief" note about the ARRL Foundation granting an additional $2000 toward the cost of constructing and installing antennas on the new Columbus ISS module (page 12).

+ Two photos and a half column of print space on Space Day at the National Air and Space Museum (page 13).

+ Author Wayne Yoshida's technical article on microwave radio (Wayne has written a number of QST items over the years) contained a footnote stating that the most memorable ham radio experience of his life was working in the press room as a volunteer at Johnson Space Center during the 1983 Owen Garriott flight aboard STS-9/ Spacelab-1 where Owen made the first-ever ham radio contacts from space (page 30).

+ A half page special on Bill McArthur's presentation at the ARRL annual Donor Reception (page 43).

+ Another 1/4 page on Bill McArthur meeting and greeting hams who came to ARRL's booths during the Dayton Hamvention held on May 18-20 (page 43-44).

4. ARRL Article on Sunita Williams

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a web story on Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, who made 33 ARISS contacts while on board the ISS. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/06/26/100/?nc=1

/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