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[jamsat-news:1839] ANS-250 AMSAT Weekly Bulletin


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE

ANS-250

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.

In this edition:
*  AMSAT-NA President's Reminder
*  Keith Baker resigns from AMSAT-NA BoD
*  OSCAR-11 REPORT
*  AMSAT comments on BPL debate
*  Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
*  This Week's News in Brief


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.01
AMSAT-NA President's Reminder

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.01 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.01

Just a few more reminders to bring to your attention:

1) In support of ECHO you can fly your name /Call sign on the Bird.
Call Martha for Details (301)-589-6062  and be the first one in your
local club to get into space.

2) Remember the Membership contest  - Get new members for AMSAT - every
one helps with  the funding and the more users we have on the birds - the
more fun we have. Don't Forget the Tri-bander Prize for the contest

3) Registration for the Annual meeting goes up in price after  September
15th, help yourself to a saving, and help the organizers to know how many
will be present.

4) The Annual meeting Spouses Program, -  In case there is any confusion, on
the Friday  you need to take the Bus Downtown in order to get on the  "Shop
and Dine Tour" but you do not  have to take that tour if you want "to do
your own thing Downtown"  The bus will bring you back to the hotel after the
tour.

5) Every year we get a number of people who try to book the hotel after the
block has been closed.  Make Sure that you book your room Early (before
September 16) to ensure that you get the best rate and can stay in the
Airport Marriott with everybody else. While there are other hotels around
the area they will cost more and have less facilities. Currently the $Cdn is
about $0.71 US thus the current price of our rooms is about $84.50 + local
Tax for a first rate hotel.

6) I am advised , by an independent Chef, that The Saturday night Banquet
($33.00 US) is excellent  and well worth attending.

7) Take the Sunday Morning trip to the "Hammond Radio Museum" - one of  the
very best of it's kind.

More Reminders to follow next week.

73,
Robin Haighton, VE3FRH,
President AMSAT

[ANS thanks Robin, VE3FRH, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.02
Keith Baker resigns from AMSAT-NA BoD

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.02 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.02

It is with regret that we announce the resignation of Keith Baker, KB1SF
from the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors.  Keith cites a desire to spend more
time with his family, as well as pressures in his professional life, as
reasons for this action.

KB1SF was first elected to the Board 1994, and has served continuously since
then.  He was re-elected to serve a regular two year term in 2002.  Keith
also served as Executive Vice President under President, Bill Tynan, W3XO,
from 1994 until 1998  The Board elected him President in 1998 when W3XO
stepped down, and served for two years.

Robin Haighton, V3FRH, AMSAT North America President says,
"Keith's seat on the Board will be filled by the First Alternate, the person
receiving the highest number of votes in the current election after the four
contested seats are filled."

Bill Tynan, W3XO
Board Chairman

[ANS Bill, W3XO, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.03
OSCAR-11 REPORT

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.03 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.03


 OSCAR-11 REPORT   06 September 2003


During the period 13 August to 06 September 2003 the 145.826 MHz. beacon
has been heard transmitting continuous ASCII telemetry from 22 August to 01
September. During this period good signals have been received. Telemetry
transmissions are expected to resume around 11 September for about 9 - 10
days.

The internal temperatures have increased by 3.2C during the period,
indicating that the eclipse times are continuing to decrease.  The
temperatures are now 5.0C, 4.0C, and 9.8C respectively, for battery,
telemetry electronics and command decoder, respectively. However, there is
a considerable variation in the temperature changes between the three
units. This may due to the very low spin rate producing uneven heating. The
slow spin rate has also caused some uneven heating of the external
surfaces, and temperatures of +32C and down to 0C have been observed. The
range of temperatures was less than those reported last month.

Temperatures are expected to increase, reaching a peak in the Autumn with
higher temperatures than in 2002.

The battery voltage observed during daylight passes was unchanged.
Observations have varied between 14.0 and 13.3 volts, with an average value
of 13.5 volts.

Examination of the magnetometer telemetry shows that the satellite is now
rotating very slowly ie. the spin period is very long. Accurate
determination of the spin period is very difficult when the spin period
exceeds the time of a pass. Spin periods of 582 to 716 seconds have been
measured.  On one occasion no spin was observed, and on another the X & Y
axes indicated an unusual motion.

The mode-S beacon has been heard by Ken W7KKE. He uses a one metre dish,
with a G3RUH patch, RHCP, 0.7 dB pre-amp, and Drake converter.  The
measured frequency, after correction for Doppler, but not CW beat, was
2401.5023 MHz. The equipment was calibrated before and after the
measurement. Ken also noticed two weak 1200 Hz. sideband tones.  At the
time the 145 MHz. beacon was OFF.  Many thanks for that report Ken.

Users of OSCAR-11 should note that the date in the telemetry is advanced by
three days.  The time is advanced by 18.6 minutes, and this error is
increasing by about one minute per year.

OSCAR-11 now operates in a default mode, controlled by the watch-dog timer.
The satellite transmits continuous ASCII telemetry for about 8 - 9 days on
145.826 MHz., followed by about 10 - 12 days of silence. This regular
sequence might be interrupted by ground control.

The mode-S beacon is ON continuously, even when the VHF beacon is
OFF, nominally transmitting an unmodulated carrier on 2401.5 MHz.
There is however a VERY low level of AFSK modulation, (now a constant
1200 Hz. audio tone), which has been detected on strong signals.
Telemetry indicates that the beacon has partially failed, and is
delivering half power.  This beacon is a useful test source for those
testing mode-S converters, as an alternative to OSCAR-40. However the
signals are very weak, and there is a lot of Doppler. Users should
also note that the polarization of OSCAR-11 is LHC. Even if you can't
hear OSCAR-11, your equipment may still be OK for OSCAR-40. Any
reports of reception on 2401.5 MHz. would be most welcome.  Please
e-mail g3cwv@amsat.org.

The 435.025 MHz. beacon is normally OFF.  It can only be heard on the
very rare occasions when the satellite is being commanded by ground
control, ie. within range of Guildford, UK.  When the 435 beacon is
transmitting, the 145 beacon is normally OFF.  The data transmitted
is mainly binary.

Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my web site.

The web site contains details about using a soundcard for data
capture, and also details about using hardware demodulators. There is
software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry and WOD.
There is an archive of raw data for analysis, which is continually
being expanded, as new data is captured.  Originally this was for
WOD, but it is now being expanded to include ASCII telemetry. At the
present time the telemetry covers 1996 to April 2003.  I will add
other years as time permits.  In parallel there is a news archive
which provides an overview of the state of the satellite, at the
times when the telemetry was captured.

If anyone out there can provide any data, particularly for the 1984
to 1993 years, this would be most appreciated.  Please e-mail me
with details.  However please DO NOT SEND ANY FILES, before further
discussion.

Also included are some audio files, examples of each type of data
transmitted by OSCAR-11, each one plays for about ten seconds.  There
are also examples of mode-S reception.  All the audio files are
zipped, so that they can be played off-line.  These should help
listeners identify the various types of data, and give an indication
of the signal quality required for successful decoding.

The URL is -

      http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/

If you place this bulletin on a terrestrial packet network, please
use the bulletin identifier $BID:U2RPT89.CWV, to prevent duplication.

[ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.04
AMSAT comments on BPL debate

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.04 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.04

AMSAT filed Comments with the FCC in July and Reply Comments in August,
opposing proposals to allow Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems.  A
short excerpt of those comments follow.

AMSAT agrees with ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio ("ARRL"),
that BPL is a Pandora's Box of unprecedented proportions. Once deployed, the
consumer's expectations will be such as to preclude termination of the
service, and interference problems, both to and from BPL, will inevitably be
both widespread and impossible as a practical matter to rectify. The amateur
and amateur-satellite services cannot be protected from interference from
BPL, and BPL cannot be protected from interference from HF and VHF amateur
radio stations. The rules must insure that BPL is not permitted to operate
in or near any amateur radio allocation, and if BPL is permitted at all, any
changes in amateur radio allocations must immediately trigger retroactive
modifications to BPL facilities to delete any use of amateur radio
frequencies. In addition, spurious emissions from BPL facilities must be
substantially attenuated below current Part 15 spurious emission levels.

Therefore, the foregoing considered, AMSAT joins ARRL in respectfully
requesting that the Commission take no steps to permit access or in-building
BPL at HF or VHF at this time.

The complete text of all AMSAT FCC filings are posted at

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/amsat-na/filings/index.html

[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.05
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.05 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.05

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2003-09-06 06:00 UTC


The ARISS (a joint effort of AMSAT, the ARRL, NASA, the ARISS international
partners including Canada, Russia, the European Partners, and Japan)
operations team wishes to announce the following very tentative schedule for
ARISS school contacts.  This schedule is very fluid and may change at the
last minute.

Remember that amateur radio use on the ISS is considered secondary.  Please
check the various AMSAT and ARISS webpages for the latest announcements.
Changes from the last announcement are noted with (***).  Also, please check
MSNBC.com for possible live retransmissions
(http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp).  Listen for the ISS on the downlink
of 145.80 MHz.

Websites that may be of interest include:

http://www.arrl.org/sarex
http://www.arrl.org/ariss
http://www.amsat.org
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/index.html
http://ehb2.gsfc.nasa.gov/edcats/educator_guide/


ISS Expedition 7 crew:
Ed Lu KC5WKJ
Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP

Tentative cutoff day for ARISS contacts with Expedition 7 is 2003-09-20

Next up Expedition 8 crew:
Mike Foale KB5UAC
Alexander Kaleri U8MIR

Tentative schedule:
2003-10-18 Soyuz launch
2003-10-20 dock
2003-10-28 undock


Boulder High School
Contact was successful Wed 2003-09-03 16:10 UTC (***)
Congratulations Ed and Boulder High! (***)

Cornell University
Contact was successful Thu 2003-09-04 13:39 UTC  (***)
Congratulations Ed and Cornell! (***)

Kagawa Junior High School, Ube City, Japan
TBD direct via 8N4ISS

Webster High School, Webster, N.Y.
Wed 2003-09-10 12:30 UTC via W2SKY (***)

Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii
Mon 2003-09-15 16:57 UTC via WH6PN (***)

Verbum Casa das Palabras  Vigo Spain
TBD UTC with Pedro Duque

Ceip Seixalbo school  Ourense,  Spain
TBD UTC with Pedro Duque

Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL
TBD UTC (Contact was not completed)

The latest ARISS announcement and successful school list is now available on
the
ARISS web site.  Several ways to get there.

Latest ARISS announcements and news
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt

Successful school list
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf

or
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov

If you can not get into the GSFC site, then go directly to the RAC site.
(***)

click on English (sorry I don't know French)
you are now at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/
click on News


Currently the ARISS operations team has a list of over 60 schools that we
hope will be able to have a contact during 2003.   As the schedule becomes
more solidified, we will be letting everyone know.  Current plans call for
an average of one scheduled school contact per week.

[ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-250.06
This Week's News in Brief

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 250.06 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  September 7, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-250.06

**    A team of researchers from the University of Arkansas has measured
water evaporation rates under Mars-like conditions, and their findings favor
the presence of surface water on the planet. Water on the planet's surface
makes the existence of past or present life on Mars a little more likely,
according to the group.  --SpaceDaily

**  In an article published in the September issue of Geology, Gregory
Ryskin, associate professor of chemical engineering, suggests that huge
combustible clouds produced by methane gas trapped in stagnant bodies of
water and suddenly released could have killed off the majority of marine
life and land animals and plants at the end of the Permian era -- long
before dinosaurs lived and died.  --SpaceDaily

**  NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility has switched on two of its
onboard instruments and captured some preliminary star-studded images. The
space observatory was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on August 25.
"We're extremely pleased, because these first images have exceeded our
expectations," said Dr. Michael Werner, the Space Infrared Telescope
Facility project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif.  --SpaceDaily

**  The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is now
home to the United States' fastest operational unclassified supercomputer.
The laboratory's 11.8 teraflops industry-standard HP Integrity system came
to full operating power this week, marking the next advance in
high-performance computing designed to enable new insights in the
environmental and molecular sciences, including chemistry, biology, climate
and subsurface chemistry.  --SpaceDaily

**  The Academy of Model Aeronautics is saying no to the introduction of
Broadband Over Powerline or BPL technology.  In Reply Comments to the FCC,
the 175,000 member aviation hobby group says that it is concerned that BPL
deployment could cause harmful interference to users of Radio Controlled
systems and pose a safety hazard to aeromodeling equipment and
spectators.  --Newsline

**  The French government has said goodbye to the term e-mail in favor of
the native language term courriel.  A word that linguistically sensitive
France
is now using to refer to electronic mail in all official documents and hopes
that the public will adopt as well.  --Newsline

/EX


Currently, AMSAT-NA supports the following (free) mailing lists:

* AMSAT News Service (ANS)
* General satellite discussion (AMSAT-BB)
* Orbit data (KEPS)
* Manned space missions (SAREX)
* District of Columbia area (AMSAT-DC)
* New England area (AMSAT-NE)
* AMSAT Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-EDU)
* AMSAT K-12 Educational Liaison mailing list (AMSAT-K12)

A daily digest version is available for each list.

To subscribe, or for more list information, visit the following URL:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/menu.html


73,
This weeks ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS, ku4os@amsat.org

----
Via the ans mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
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