AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-308

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.

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In this edition: * Bob McGwier, N4HY, speaking at Texas Microwave Society Meeting * PCSAT-1 recovery in work * Over 300 QSOs for Sputnik Satellite Special Event Station * SatPC32 ver 12.7 released * ARISS Status - 29 October 2007

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-308.01 Bob McGwier, N4HY, speaking at Texas Microwave Society Meeting

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 308.01  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 4, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-308.01

Bob McGwier, N4HY, Vice President of Engineering for AMSAT, Software Expert, heavy contributor to Software Defined Radios, and all around entertaining speaker will be the guest speaker at the 10 Nov 2007 North Texas Microwave Society Meeting.  This meeting will be held at the University of North Texas Student Union building in Denton, TX.  People start gathering at 12:00 PM and the meeting starts at 1:00 PM.   With Bob's announcement of AMSAT's Phase 4 Lite project at the AMSAT Space Symposium last weekend, this should be a very interesting meeting. Bob is "up to speed" on all of AMSAT's projects and is deeply involved with Flex Radio and others in Software Defined Radios.   While this is the same day as the NCTECH Hamfest in Azle, TX, you can attend both if you play your cards right.  Plan to join us for an informative meeting and help pass the word.

[ANS thanks Keith, W5IU, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-308.02 PCSAT-1 recovery in work

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 308.02  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 4, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-308.02

PCSAT-1 responded to all RESTORE commands on the 1320Z pass on 02 November 2007.

On the next pass (now in full sun), she remembered it all and was fully operational (though the transmitters were again cross connected meaning that relay had dropped out in the dark over Europe.  But we set the relay again and she should be fine. PLEASE limit all operations to DAYLIGHT hours only, and PCSAT-1 should be good for the next few weeks.  Also, on the same 145.825, you should also hear ANDE and ARISS.  That's 18 passes a day!

RULE:  If you see packets from both PCSAT-1 and PCSAT-11 on the same frequency, then STOP digipeating.  The transmitters are cross connected and consuming TWICE the battery power (which we don't have).  You can confirm what is happening prior to your pass by checking the packets on http://pcsat.aprs.org  If you see packets from both the -1 and -11 callsign via the same satgates, then the transmitters are cross connected and should not be used.  Also avoid any use after dark.

PCSAT-11 downlink is on 144.39 over North America so all mobiles on the normal APRS channel can be alerted when it is in view.

And full details on http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat.html

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-308.03 Over 300 QSOs for Sputnik Satellite Special Event Station

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 308.03  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 4, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-308.03

Many thanks to all stations who managed to have a QSO with the sputnik special event Satellite station GB5OSO, well done! QSL cards have yet to come from the printers so it may be a while before they arrive.

The event went very well with 300+ QSO's in 33 DXCC countries on AO-7, AO-27, SO-51, AO-51 and VO-52, in all 170+ stations were logged many of whom were worked on more than one satellite and special thanks to the two stations who were worked on all 5 birds namely G1OCN and ON5NY. Also many thanks to JA0CAW and JH1EKH who were able to organise a connection via EchoLink to SO-50 and AO-51 whilst they were over Japan. There was also some activity on HF.

[ANS thanks Robert, G8ATE, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-308.04 SatPC32 ver 12.7 released

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 308.04  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 4, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-308.04

SatPC32 version 12.7 has been released by Erich Eichmann, DK1TB.

What's new in verions 12.7:

1. The program now comes with additional sets of 2D and 3D    physical world maps. Via mouse click the user can switch    between political and physical maps.

2. The political 2D world maps have been updated. Now they show    the border lines of the successor states of the former    Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia.

3. The programs (SatPC32, SatPC32ISS and Wisat32) now support  rotor steering with the Italian rotor system ProSistel.

4. The "Uplink Calibration" feature has been expanded. With    previous versions this function could only be used with    "normal" SSB satellites (SSB on Uplink and Downlink). Now    it also works with mixed-mode satellites (Uplink: SSB,    Downlink:FM). Sometimes AO-51 is using this mode.

The "Uplink Calibration" function allows users to automatically    calibrate the Uplink frequency for best audio pitch of their    downlink signal and to save the change. With future program    starts the user will then immediately hear his own downlink    when he switches to that satellite, without the necessity to    tune around and produce QRM.

Important: With SSB/FM satellites the SatPC32 control "V"    must be switched to "V+" before the "Uplink Calibration"    function can be used.

5. The programs (SatPC32, SatPC32ISS,Wisat32) no longer use the    IOPort.SYS driver for port access. This driver doesn't work on    64-bit systems. So, no special version of these programs is    necessary for 64-bit systems.

The driver was used to steer the German rotor interface IF-100.    Since direct steering of this Interface by SatPC32 is no longer    possible the update includes a little server program similar to    the rotor driver files for the other interfaces and controllers    supported by SatPC32.  The new IF-100 server program is only    functional with 32-bit systems.  The other rotor interfaces and    controllers - except the FodTrack interface and the KCT-Tracker -    are supported with 32-bit and 64-bit systems.   6. Some minor improvements have been made with SatPC32ISS, WinAOS    and WinListen.

[ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-308.05 ARISS Status - 29 October 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 308.05  From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. November 4, 2007 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-308.05

1. Giosuè Carducci Contact, a Success

The first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact of Expedition 16 took place on Tuesday, October 23. Seventeen students from Giosuè Carducci in Santa Marinella, Italy asked one question each of Clay Anderson, KD5PLA as an audience of approximately 265 students, guests and reporters gathered for the event. The audio from this contact was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers and received 22 connections, of which 3 were repeater nodes, from 6 countries. The audio was also fed into the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) Discovery Reflector 9010. Two television stations, two radio stations and all local newspapers covered the event. A write up with photos and audio may be found on the ARISS-Europe Web site. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2007_10_24.htm

3. AMSAT-NA Space Symposium

The 2007 Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) Annual Meeting and Space Symposium was held Friday – Sunday, October 26 -28 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Four presentations were given covering the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. The ARISS contact with the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the SuitSat-2 project status, human spaceflight, and the long term impact of the SAREX and ARISS programs were all presented.

4. Space Jamboree Article and Update

A local newspaper, The Fountain County Neighbor, ran an article on the October 6 Boy Scouts of America Space Jamboree held at Camp Robert Drake in Oakwood, Illinois. The Scouts participated in a NASA Mission to Mars Expedition through a Digital Learning Lab and approximately 400 witnessed an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Over one hundred scouts earned their Radio Merit Badges during the event.

[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