[jamsat-news:1985] ANS-023 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE

ANS-023

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:
* Microsat launch 15th anniversary
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium Dates for 2005
* Project OSCAR Symposium
* ARISS Status - 17 Jan 2005


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-023.01
Microsat launch 15th anniversary

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 23, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-023.01

22 January 2005 marks the 15th anniversary of the launch of five OSCAR
microsats, UOSAT-4 (UO-15), PACSAT (AO-16), DOVE (DO-17), WEBERSAT
(WO-18) and LUSAT (LO-19).  

UoSAT-OSCAR 15 (UoSAT-4, UoSAT-E) by a Ariane 4 launcher from Kourou,
French Guiana. The satellite was launched on the first Ariane ASAP
flight V35 with SPOT-2 and four other microsatellites: AO-16, DO-17,
WO-18, and LO-19. 

Based on the success of UoSAT-OSCAR-11's Digital Communications
Experiment, AMSAT-OSCAR-16 was designed to be a dedicated
store-and-forward file server in space. A total of 10 megabytes of
static RAM was available for message storage and a RAM disk.

DOVE-OSCAR 17 was sponsored by AMSAT-Brazil and lead by Dr. Junior
Torres DeCastro, PY2BJO. The primary mission of DOVE was to provide an
easily receivable signal for educational institutions. Thus requiring
simple equipment like a 2 meter handheld or scanner to receive DOVE's
signal. Telemetry was in the familiar terrestrial 1200 baud AFSK AX.25
packet format requiring a common TNC to decode. 

WEBERSAT-OSCAR 18 carried a Mode JD digital transponder and had a 1200
baud AX.25 packet system. Additionally WO-18 carried two 70cm beacons.

LUSAT-OSCAR 19 was coordinated by AMSAT Argentina, as a packet radio
store-and-forward spacecraft much the same as AMSAT-OSCAR-16. The only
difference between the two satellites was that AO-16 supports an S-Band
beacon in addition to the mailbox, while LO-19 had an additional 70-cm
CW beacon.

More information about these ground breaking satellites can be found at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/history.php

[ANS thanks Perry, W3PK for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-023.02
AMSAT-UK Colloquium Dates for 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 023.02
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 23, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-023.02

The AMSAT-UK Colloquium dates have been set for Friday through Sunday,
29-30 July 2005. Place, where else but the University of Surrey,
Guildford, UK!

Also in conjunction with the RSGB, AMSAT-UK will be hosting the ARISS
International meeting which will be held at the University on Monday and
Tuesday, 1-2 August 2005.

Details of bothevents are still being worked out and will be available
on the colloquium web page
http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/default.php

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-023.03
Project OSCAR Symposium

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 023.03
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 23, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-023.03

Project OSCAR, the world's oldest amateur radio club devoted exclusively
to amateur satellites has issued a call for papers for it's 2005 West
Coast Space Symposium to be held May 7th, 2005 at the College of San
Mateo in San Mateo, California.  The Symposium is devoted to a broad
range of topics that range from current satellite construction projects,
satellite operations and general technical discussions.

For more information to submit papers, or for information to attend the
Symposium, visit the Project OSCAR website at:
http://www.projectoscar.net

or send email to symposium@projectoscar.net

[ANS thanks Emily, W0EEC for the above information]

/EX
        

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-023.04
ARISS Status - 17 Jan 2005

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 023.04
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 23, 2005
To All RADIO AMATEURS 
BID: $ANS-023.04

1. California School Contact Successful

As a child, Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, attended John Baldwin Elementary School
in Danville, California, and so he selected this school for his next
ARISS contact. On Thursday, January 13, 2005, Leroy delighted the
elementary school students by speaking with them from space. He was able
to answer 13 of their questions. The contact was via the telebridge
station, VK5ZAI, in Kingston SE, South Australia. 


2. Upcoming School Contacts

Students at Pinon Elementary School in White Rock, New Mexico will have
their chance to speak to Leroy Chiao on Thursday, 27 January 2005 at
17:42 UTC.


3. ESA Article on Ireland Contact

ESA ran an article covering the ESA sponsored competition in Ireland
where the winning schools met at University College Cork for their ARISS
contact.  The article, ¡ÈGreetings from space,¡É is posted on the ESA
website.  See:
http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMAVC8873E_education_0.html


4. Astronaut Training

Kenneth Ransom held a training session with astronauts Thomas Reiter,
DF4TR, and Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. He familiarized them with the hardware
on board the ISS, talked about lessons learned, and had them practice
placing the radio in cross band repeater mode. He also covered other
equipment that is expected to be on board the ISS when they arrive,
including the SSTV and the Yaesu radio system.  Both astronauts are very
interested in making contacts, and they should be a great asset to the
ARISS program.

Kenneth has also scheduled a training session with astronaut Sunita
Williams. The meeting is slated for Tuesday, 18 January 2005.


5. Astronaut Receives Amateur Radio License

JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide passed his amateur radio exam on
Saturday, January 8, and received his new callsign, KE5DNI. Hoshide is
the eighth of fourteen members in the 2004 astronaut candidate class to
receive his license. The other seven received their callsigns in
November, 2004. Congratulations Akihiko!


6. ARISS Acquires New Hardware

The ARISS U.S. team purchased an IBM A31P Thinkpad computer. This is the
same model computer that will be dedicated to the ISS Ham radio system
on board the ISS.  The ARISS team plans to test the SSTV system with
this newly acquired computer.


7. Presentation on Amateur Radio in Space 

The new Power Point presentation about ham radio in space was announced
in the March issue of QST (ARRL's monthly journal with 160,000
subscribers) and described on ARRL¡Çs teacher listserv. The show,
¡ÈAmateur Radio in Space,¡É which covers ham radio satellites and
highlights ARISS, is downloadable from the ARRL web site.  See:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/materials/videos.html


8. QST Covers ARISS ESA ESOC Contact

A news item with a photo of members of the Amateur Radio club of the
European Space Centre, in Darmstadt, Germany, was carried in the March
QST because during their open house, they made an Amateur Radio contact
with astronauts using ARISS gear on the ISS.  The open house had 1200
visitors who were impressed that hams were able to talk to the
astronauts as the ISS passed overhead.


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