[jamsat-news:1830] ANS-229 AMSAT Weekly Bulletin

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE

ANS-229

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:
*  Bali QSO Party on AO-40
*  Flatholm Island Expedition includes satellite op's
*  AO-40 Transponder Schedule
*  Roy Neal, K6DUE, SK
*  This Week's News in Brief


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.01
Bali QSO Party on AO-40

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.01 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  August 17, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.01

Many hams in the middle and eastern United States will get a good chance to
make their first satellite contact with Indonesia on August 18 from
1710-1830 UTC during the "Bali QSO party".  The window will go as far east
as the mid-Atlantic states.  Reinhard informed me that he will be using a
9-foot dish and he has a clear view of the horizon.  He believes he will be
able to make contacts down to 0 degrees elevation.

Unfortunately this is on a Monday during business hours.  Fortunately the
window is during lunchtime for hams in the Central and Mountain time zones.
Some people might be able to take a long lunch and go home to make the
contact.  Those in the Eastern time zone could take a late lunch or go home
early.  I have tree obstructions at home, so I plan to set up my portable
AO40 station in the parking lot at work where I have a clear view of the sky
down to about 2 degrees elevation.

[ANS thanks Wayne, W9AE, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.02

Flatholm Island Expedition includes satellite op's

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.02 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  August 17, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.02

Many Amateur Radio operators may be aware of the significance  of
"Flatholm Island " located in the Bristol Channel  in the UK.
The island has a very historic link in connection with our hobby as it was
used by  Marconi when he demonstrated to the British
Post Office that his theory that radio waves would travel across water.
He made the link via radio from Lavernock Point  in south Wales to the
island  on Thursday  May 13th 1897.

To pay homage to Marconi the Barry Amateur Radio Society  ( South Wales )
erected a monument on the island and each year make an annual visit to
operate a special event station using the callsign "GB5FI "  ( Flatholm
Island ).  This years visit will take place between  Friday  22nd August and
Wednesday 27th August when once the society  will activate this very rare
WAB square ST26 and operating mainly on the amateur HF bands.

To follow in the footsteps of the historic event.  This year it is also
planned to operate via satellite using AO - 40 and also Oscar 14
( subject to access in the short pass time).   Whist the priority will be
for normal SSB operation we also endeavor to perhaps
operate  in the digital  or SSTV modes.

This is a very rare opportunity  to add to your QSL  card collection  a
"Flatholm Island "  via satellite  memento!

Details of the site are as follows:

Flatholm Island   ( Bristol Channel )  - UK
Callsign: GB5FI
WAB:  ST26
Grid Square:  IO81ki
Latitude   N 51  29 69
Longitude S 003 33 59
Also Lighthouse ref:  0007

[ANS thanks Ken, GW1FKY, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.03
AO-40 Transponder Schedule

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.03 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  August 17, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.03

The schedule has been changed slightly to put the beacon-only portion of
the K-band session at the end of the session, rather than the beginning.

If you are operating using the S-band downlink during the K-band session,
PLEASE try to be more than 25 kHz from the middle beacon and reduce power.


N  QST AMSAT AO-40          SCHEDULE                 2003-08-14
      MA      002   030   126   132   134   220   244   002
      ---------7-----1-----6-----3-----4-----5-----0-----7
      S2/K-Tx  |  S  |  S  | S/K | S/K |  S  |  S  |  S  |
      MB       |  *  |  *  |  *  |  *  |  *  |  *  |  *  |
      RUDAK    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
      V/U-Rx   |  U  |  U  |  U  |  U  |  U  |  U  |  V  |
      Uplink   |     | UL1 | UL  |     | UL  |     |     |

[ANS thanks Stacey, W4SM, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.04
Roy Neal, K6DUE, SK

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.04 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  August 17, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.04

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, provided the following report on the passing of Roy
Neal, K6DUE.

It is with great sadness in my heart that I must tell you that my good
friend and mentor, Roy Neal, K6DUE has passed away today, August 15.  Roy
was recovering from heart surgery that was performed on August 12 when he
passed away.

Roy played a pivotal role in bringing amateur radio on-board human
spaceflight vehicles.  Through his extensive contacts in NASA, he was
instrumental in convincing NASA management to fly amateur radio on-board
the Space Shuttle.  Roy's successful negotiations with NASA management led
to the first on-orbit amateur radio operations by astronaut Owen Garriott,
W5LFL, on the STS-9 Space Shuttle Columbia flight in November 1983.  He was
the leader of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) working group
and he was instrumental in the formation of the international team that
represents Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).  For
the ARISS program, Roy served as moderator of the ARISS international
meetings.  K6DUE's extensive experience as a newsman was put into practice
as he utilized these talents to keep the ARISS team on-track and focused
during these critical, consensus-gathering meetings.  Roy loved the amateur
radio hobby in general and continued to be on-the-air until the last few
weeks of his life.  He provided substantial support and guidance to amateur
radio organizations such as AMSAT, ARRL and amateur radio news
organizations such as Newsline.

The general public will remember Roy for his years of outstanding service
at NBC news.  As the NBC science correspondent, K6DUE covered the space
program extensively, particularly the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space
Shuttle missions.  He was personal friends of the astronauts, particularly
the Mercury 7 astronauts.  Roy was full of stories about the fledgling U.S.
space program.  I enjoyed countless hours listening to him talk about the
space missions, the challenges and many of the "behind the scenes" stories
about what happened before, during and after the flight.  When it came to
the U.S. space program, Roy Neal was an encyclopedia of knowledge.

As a young child, I remember seeing Roy Neal on NBC news standing near the
launch pad explaining to me (and the whole world) all the details of the
upcoming Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights.  At that time, I would have
never have guessed that I would not only meet Roy but that he would become
my personal friend.  I feel blessed to have had such a wonderful person as
a friend and a mentor.  I will miss him dearly.

K6DUE worked tirelessly to expand amateur radio operations beyond the
surface of the Earth.  He personally challenged me and the entire ARISS
team to develop, operate and maintain a permanent amateur radio station on
ISS.  The ham radio station on-board ISS serves as a living legacy to Roy
Neal.  As humans extend their reach beyond Earth orbit and into the far
reaches of the universe, may Roy Neal's spirit inspire us to continue the
pursuit of expanding amateur radio in space.

On behalf of AMSAT and the ARISS International team, I would like to extend
our collective condolences to the Neal Family.  Our thoughts and prayers
are with you.

To Roy Neal SK:   Our sincerest 73's and 88's


Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO
AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
Chairman, ARISS International

[ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-229.05
This Week's News in Brief

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 229.05 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD.  August 17, 2003
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-229.05

**   SCISAT was launched 15 August at 0210 UTC, approximately 160 km
offshore from the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The 150 kg satellite was packed
in the nose of a Pegasus XL rocket dropped at 40,000 feet over the Pacific
Ocean from a Lockheed-1011 aircraft. The satellite was successfully brought
to its 650 km-high polar orbit by the 3-stage Pegasus rocket.  --SpaceDaily

**   Rocket propellant leaked at Space Launch Complex No. 40 at
approximately 2200 UTC on 15 August as the propellant was being loaded onto
a Titan IV rocket.  The second stage of the Titan IV uses nitrogen
tetroxide, a toxic hypergolic oxidizer. The plume dissipated harmlessly
before reaching populated areas of Kennedy Space Center, just west of SLC
40. As a precautionary measure, KSC officials were notified about the
incident.  The cause of the leak is under investigation and the status of
the Titan IV launch, which was scheduled for Aug. 18, is unknown at this
time.  --SpaceDaily

/EX


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

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