[jamsat-news:2457] ANS-034 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-034

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:
* AO-16 Status
* AMSAT STraight key nite winners
* ISS Cross Band Repeater
* DC Area AMSAT Gathering
* OSCAR 11 Report
* ARISS Status - 28 January 2008
* ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed
* ARISS INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN MOVES INTO NEW POSITION AT NASA

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.01
AO-16 Status

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.01
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.01

AO-16 is now alive and well.  Many contacts going through the previously
packet only satellite.  Uplink on 145.920 and downlink 437.026.  Its
downlink is best heard in USB mode since it is a doubleside band,
reduced carrier transmitter.
Thanks to someone that assisted in assembling this satellite for
remembering a simple command to link tx and rx for direct communications
not using the failed onboard computer.

[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.02
AMSAT Straight key nite winners

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.02
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.02

Many thanks to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night on
OSCAR 2008, held in memory of Haruo Yoneda, ex-JA1ANG.

Only two linear-transponder satellites were available this year, AO-7
and VO-52.  Two enterprising hams, W6ASL and WA8SME, didn't let that
stop them: they used audio oscillators to work each other through the FM
transponder of AO-51.  That counts too!

The silence of FO-29 notwithstanding, a record 15 amateurs each received
at least one Best Fist nomination from someone they worked.  The
increase in European activity was especially welcome.  This year's
winners are:

Jay Garlitz, AA4FL
Sergei Pyatygin, ER1AN
Laszlo Kekes, HA5FB
Ron Gorzynski, K8DID
Frank Wiesenmeyer, K9CIS
Scott Newell, KA8HOK
Keith O'Brien, N4ZQ
Allen Mattis, N5AFV
Al Ozias, N7EQF
Rolf Moberg, OH6KXL
Andy Macallister, W5ACM
Jim Van Striver, W6ASL
Mike Herr, WA6ARA
Mark Spencer, WA8SME
Neven Mrduljas, 9A5YY

Congratulations to all.  See you next year!


[ANS Thanks Ray, W2RS,  for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.03
ISS Repeater

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.03
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.03

The ISS cross band repeater is on and functioning as of this
announcement.  It is on Uplink - 437.800FM
Downlink - 145.800FM.  It is quite strong and can be heard well on a
simple setup.  I read a report that "someone" called CQ and there was no
-one coming back to him.  Listen and give it a shot.

[ANS thanks Tony, K2MO, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.04
DC Area AMSAT Gathering

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.04
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.04

Meeting Announcement-AMSAT-DC

We will meet in Pioneer Hall at the Historical
Electronics Museum.  Same place as last year,
same time as last year, for at least one more
time. If you can't make Dayton or the Symposium, plan to attend this 
great gathering.

         Clip and share!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2008 AMSAT-DC MEETING AND SPACE SEMINAR

WHO:   YOU are invited!  Amateur radio operators, students,
         educators and the public are all invited.

WHAT:  Talks, demos, tutorials and socializing about amateur
         satellites and high-altitude balloon experiments in the
         greater mid-Atlantic USA area.  A full day of activities!

WHEN:  Saturday, March 15, 2008, starting at 11:00 A.M. local.

WHERE: Historical Electronics Museum (HEM) at 1745 West Nursery
         Road, Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (near BWI airport).  In
         Pioneer Hall.  HEM directions at http://www.hem-usa.org/

WHY:   Fun, education, public service, training, cool stuff,
         and more fun.

HOW:   Talk-in on 146.760 MHz (107.2 Hz PL on some receiver
         sites)

HOST:  Pat Kilroy, n8pk@amsat.org or Patrick.L.Kilroy@nasa.gov

WEB:   Check the AMSAT-DC page http://patkilroy.com/amsat-dc/
         for late breaking news.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Notes:

Please download the AMSAT-DC-2008 flier from the
AMSAT-DC web page, print copies and share them
widely, like at a club meeting, at a hamfest, in
a public library, in a school, and other visible
places.

Meeting preparations are being conducted on the
amsat-dc e-mail list.  Go to the link at top of
the AMSAT-DC page to subscribe.

This year will feature something new, a Pot Luck
luncheon!  You may bring a favorite dish to share.
See the AMSAT-DC web page for additional info or
please contact the host, yours truly, at
n8pk@amsat.org.

Free paved parking is available a short walk from
the museum front door.  Like before, monetary
donations will be accepted to help offset the
associated meeting and seminar costs.  Like last
year, we'd like to in turn donate a portion to
the museum for the use of their facility.

Outrageous fun, learning, and camaraderie are
in store for you.

See you there!

73,

Pat Kilroy, N8PK
AMSAT Area Coordinator
Maryland-DC Area

[ANS thanks Pat, N8PK, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.05
OSCAR 11 Report

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.05
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.05

OSCAR-11 Report for 26 January 2008

This report covers the period from 19 December 2007 to
26 January 2008. After two months of silence from 20 November,
when eclipses started, the satellite resumed transmissions on
22 January 2008.

At the time of writing signals are consistantly strong, although
the polarisation is very variable, with a cycle time of around
20 seconds, causing deep fading if the antenna polarisation is
fixed. This suggests that the satellite may be tumbling.

If the current watchdog cycle continues uninterrupted, the
145.826 MHz beacon should switch off around 01 February and on
again around 11 February. However, if low battery voltage causes
the watchdog timer to reset, then the beacon should switch on
21 days later.

I am indebted to Peter ZL3TC, Mark KU7Z, Gene WA4UKX, SWL Mark
in CM87, Ron G4PGY, Julian WB9YIG, John HB2HSH and Edward BX1AD
for their reports. Many thanks.

The satellite is now in continuous sunlight, and this is expected
to continue until mid March, when eclipses will start again.
Unfortunately eclipses will then become a permanent feature of
the orbit, which is likely to prevent any periods of sustained
operation after March.

When telemetry was last received it showed that one of the solar
arrays had failed, and there was a large unexplained current drain
on the main 14 volt bus. After 23 years in orbit the battery has
undergone around 100,000 partial charge/discharge cycles, and
observations suggest that it cannot power the satellite during
eclipses, or sometimes during periods of poor solar attitude.

The Beacon frequency is 145.826 MHz. (AFSK FM  ASCII Telemetry)

Listeners to OSCAR-11 may be interested in visiting my website.
If you need to know what OSCAR-11 should sound like, there is a
short audio clip for you to hear. There is an example of the
latest telemetry received from the satellite. The website contains
an archive of news & telemetry data. It also contains details
about using a soundcard or hardware demodulators for data capture.
There is software for capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry.
The URL is http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/

73 Clive G3CWV

[ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.06
ARISS Status - 28 January 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.06
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.06

1.	ARISS School Contacts Status

Due to crew schedules onboard the ISS, no Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contacts are planned at this time.
The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122 launches in early
February.

2.	STS-120 Crew Talks with Italian Students

On January 22, STS-120 crewmembers visited ŭa SapienzaUniversity in
Rome where approximately 600 students from several universities and high
schools gathered. Among those in attendance were students from the
schools that participated in ARISS contacts with astronauts Paolo
Nespoli, IZ0JPA, and Clay Anderson, KD5PLA. The crew gave a presentation
on their mission which included educational activities, and showed
videos to their audience. The complete story and photos of the event
have been posted on the ARISS Web site.  See:
http://www.ariss-eu.org/2008_01_25.htm

3.	Astronaut Training Status

On Wednesday, January 23, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX,
participated in a simulation of an Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) school contact. The Kenwood D700 radio in the JSC
Service Module mockup was used for the contact. He spoke with the
training support team who participated as students, asking Oleg
questions about space and his visit on the ISS. Kononenko is scheduled
as a flight engineer on Expedition 17.

A basic Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
operations and school contact class was held with Soichi Noguchi,
KD5TVP, and Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, on January 24. Wakata is scheduled to
fly to the ISS on 15A (STS-119) toward the end of 2008 as Flight
Engineer-2 during Expedition 18. Noguchi is the backup for that flight
and could participate as part of the 6 man ISS crew operations in 2010.

Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ, has been scheduled for an ARISS training session
at JSC on Tuesday, January 29. Barratt is a backup crewmember for
Expedition 18.

4.	ARISS Looking for New Telebridge Stations

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team is
currently looking to expand its telebridge station network. The proposal
has been announced on the ARISS Web site.  The American Radio Relay
League (ARRL) ran an article,  ŢRISS Team Looking for Ground Stations,which may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/01/22/100/?nc=1

The ARRL Letter also ran the announcement. See:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/08/0125/

5.	ARRL Article on JPL Amateur Radio Club Anniversary

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article, ūet Propulsion
Lab's Amateur Radio Club Marks 50 Years in Space. See:
http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7957


[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.07
ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.07
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.07

ANDE De-Orbit Awards Have Been Mailed

ANDE Awards have been mailed the last week of January.Details are
available here: http://www.ande-deorbit.com/status.shtml

In case you did not sign up yet, there is still a chance to do so:
http://www.ande-deorbit.com/submission.shtml

Mailing may take a week or so, but you should expect them one of
these days in your mailbox !

For those interested, on the website there is the full overview of
all telemetry of the final days (incl. the very last one, by JA0CAW).
Also all the TLE (kepler sets) since launch:
http://www.ande-deorbit.com/ande_all_tle.txt

[ANS thanks Henk, PA3GUO for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-034.08
ARISS INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN MOVES INTO NEW POSITION AT NASA

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 034.08
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 3, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-034.08


Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International
Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, was named recently as the NASA
Headquarters Chief Engineer for the Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate (ESMD). ESMD is NASA's initiative to develop a sustained
human presence on the moon, promote space exploration and serve as a
stepping stone to Mars and beyond. As ESMD Chief Engineer, he provides
systems engineering advice and consultation to resolve some of the most
demanding and complex technical and organizational challenges within the
Exploration Program.

Bauer and Rosalie White, K1STO, are the two ARISS delegates for the US.
He is the Vice President of Human Spaceflight Programs for the Radio
Amateur Satellite Corporation. Bauer was a 2006 nominee for the Rotary
National Award for Space Acheivement, bestowed upon him for "his
tireless work to engage the youth of our nation and the world in the
exploration of space through unique direct communications made possible
by Amateur Radio on human spaceflight missions."

Bauer is the recipient of NASA's 2002 Outstanding Leadership Medal, the
1997 NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal -- bestowed for Pioneering
Efforts in Spaceborne GPS -- and NASA's 1992 Exceptional Service Medal
(for agency contributions in GN&C). He received the Silver Snoopy Award,
the highly prestigious NASA Human Spaceflight Awareness award, in 1992.

For more information about ARISS, please visit the ARISS Web page
<http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm>.

[ANS Thanks, ARRL news for the above item]
/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,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org

















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