[jamsat-news:1983] ANS-016 AMSAT Weekly Bulleitns

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE

ANS-016

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: 

ans-editor@amsat.org

In this edition:
* AMSAT Volunteer's Effort Top $364K
* KG4 Satellite Activity
* First WAC Certificate Awarded For ISS Op
* AO-51 14 Jan 2005 Schedule Update 
* ARISS Status - 10 Jan 2005
* AMSAT Volunteer Reporting Expands for 2005


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.01
AMSAT Volunteer's Effort Top $364K

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.01

Gunther Meisse, W8GSM, AMSAT Treasurer and Board Member announced that
the 2004 total "in-kind services" significantly topped 2003 amounts.

AMSAT operates a Volunteer Reporting System (VRS) affording members the
opportunity to report their efforts on behalf of AMSAT. These efforts
include the design, construction and operation of AMSAT spacecraft,
Educational outreach and mentoring as well as general member services
and starting in 2005 general administration of the organization.

In 2004, AMSAT volunteers documented services to the organization
totaling $364,947.00.

"AMSAT is a volunteer organization and we owe a great deal of thanks to
everyone that participated in this important effort", said Gunther.

If you are not a participant and would like to know more about AMSAT
VRS, go to the web site: amsat.org and take a look at: "Becoming a
Volunteer". The process is outlined and the procedures for registration
are included.

The entire AMSAT organization thanks those dedicated members who work so
hard at making our dream a reality!!

[ANS thanks Gunther, W8GSM for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.02
KG4 Satellite Activity

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.02
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.02

Jose, N4BAA/KG4SG,  is planning to be active on the FM satellites from
15-22 Jan 2005.  Jose will be located in gridsquare FK29.  He intends to
work every possible pass of AO-27, and 25% to 50% of the workable SO-50
and AO-51 passes. 

Jose has a few requests for those trying for a QSO.  In order for Jose
to work as many stations as possible, please do not pass your grid
during the QSO. He may also acknowledge more than one QSO at a time, but
please allow a break for him to reply. He will also try to work some low
western passes to give the west coast stations a fair shot at a new one.

Good luck and good DX!

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.03
First WAC Certificate Awarded For ISS Op

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.03
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.03

During his International Space Station Expedition 9 duty tour, astronaut
Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, became the first ISS crew member to contact all
seven of the world's continents via Amateur Radio. Now he has the
International Amateur Radio Union's Worked All Continents (WAC)
certificate for his wall. 

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ham Radio
Technical Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO presented the award to
Fincke recently at Johnson Space Center. Operating NA1SS Fincke worked
KC4AAC at Antarctica's Palmer Research Station for his last
contact--actually a "bonus continent" not required to earn WAC. During
that QSO, Fincke and Chuck Kimball, N0NHJ, compared and contrasted life
in their respective outposts. 

After returning to Earth in October, Fincke said he's not sure everyone
in the NASA community understands and appreciates what Amateur Radio
means for the rest of the world. Fincke said he'd also like to do make
the first Amateur Radio contact from the moon. . 

[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.04
AO-51 14 Jan 2005 Schedule Update 

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.04
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.04

Up to now no message traffic on the AO-51 PBBS from the Tsunami Disaster
Area has been seen. Echo's mode will change 15 Jan 2005 to allow both FM
repeater and 9k6 digital operations. The FM repeater will be back
operational and open for amateur use. The plan is to run in this mode
until the end of January unless word is received from the disaster area
that a different setup would be useful.

Anyone that can help contact those in the disaster area and inform them
of the Satellite resource is encouraged to do so. Should another
configuration of AO-51 be identified as providing more benefit to those
in the disaster area, AMSAT will adjust AO-51's operating mode
accordingly.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/ControlTeam.php

[ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN for the above information]

/EX
        

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.05
ARISS Status - 10 Jan 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.05
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS 
BID: $ANS-016.05

1.Japan Contact Successful

On Friday, January 7, students from Mori Elementary School in Hyogo,
Japan experienced a contact with the ISS. They were able to ask 20
questions of Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, during the 10 minute pass.
Approximately 100 people attended the event. Media coverage included 5
newspapers and 1 local cable TV station.


2.Upcoming School Contacts

An ARISS contact has been scheduled for B. Robespierre School, in Rueil
Malmaison, France.  It will take place on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at
16:55 UTC.


3.ARRL Article on Tulsa and Rio de Janeiro Contacts

The ARRL ran a web story on two recent ARISS contacts. The article,
entitled, ¡ÈOklahoma, Brazil Youngsters Visit International Space Station
via Ham Radio,¡É can be found at: 
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/01/05/1/?nc=1


4.ARISS International Teleconference Scheduled

The next ARISS International Teleconference will be held on Tuesday,
January 18, 2005 at 12:30 UTC.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.06
AMSAT Volunteer Reporting Expands for 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.06
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS 
BID: $ANS-016.06

AMSAT Members ¡Èpitch-in¡É on work that would cost AMSAT thousands of
dollars each year to duplicate. We are wrapping up 2004 totals and we
have expanded the eligible activities for 2005 reporting.

We are now in the process of wrapping up the gathering of volunteer
hours for 2004. If you are interested and have not yet joined the AMSAT
VRS (Volunteer Reporting System) please review the material below and,
if you qualify, send an e-mail to the AMSAT Treasurer, Gunther Meisse,
at in-kind@amsat.org to sign up for this valuable AMSAT program.

The time you donate will serve to enhance the appearance of our
financial statements, comply with Generally Accepted Accounting
Principals (GAAP), all with the hope of "putting on a better public
face". In-kind donations are not necessarily tax deductible by the
volunteer. Please advise a tax consultant if you have any questions. 

Your submissions will be kept confidential. The aggregate value reported
by all volunteers, within each category, will be moved to our financial
statements, listed under the appropriate category as "In-Kind Services.
Only the total dollar values will be released.

AMSAT In-Kind Volunteer time donation system (Revised in 2005):

In keeping with the AMSAT mission statement we are seeking documentation
of In-Kind hours for the following categories:

Satellite Development / Operations
* Satellite Design 
* Satellite Construction 
* Satellite Ground Control Operations 
* Software development

Educational Outreach
* ARISS Design & Construction 
* ARISS Ground operations (School Contacts) 
* Journal Editing 
* Journal Writing 
* ANS Editing 
* ANS Writing 
* AMSAT Publications (Example: ¡ÈECHO Operation, Development &
specifications¡É) 
* University Lecturing or mentoring 
* University Satellite meetings (Micro & Cube etc) 
* Hamvention activities including manning booths, making presentations
and the like.

Member services
* Projects related to extending our mission to the general Amateur Radio
community and the general public
* General operation of the organization

If you spent volunteer hours in any of the above categories and you have
a good sense of the total hour you are spending, we would like to know
about it. We need an hourly rate to assign to the hours you log. The
procedure for your selection of that rate is as follows:

We ask you to determine your attributable hourly rate based on your
judgment of what the value is, based on the specific work you did for
AMSAT.  AMSAT will create an internal Value list which we will compare
against your number to be sure we are not grossly over or under stating
these values. 

If you feel you qualify and would like to participate, your e-mail
responses to in-kind@amsat.org should include:
  Your Name
  Your Call sign
  Your e-mail address
  The name of the qualified project you participated in, and when
  The hourly rate you feel is reasonable
  Total hours you spent in this AMSAT endeavor. 

Multiple projects, which should be calculated at different hourly rates,
should be separately listed.

In-Kind Services to AMSAT is one more way you can make a difference in
the future of Satellite Amateur Radio around the world.

We hope to hear from you. If you have any questions regarding the
program you are encouraged to send them to the same e-mail address,
in-kind@amsat.org.

[ANS thanks Gunther, W8GSM 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 weeks ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org
----
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