[jamsat-news:2474] ANS-076 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-076

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 Store Upgrade
* MIR +10
* AO-16 Report
* Satellite Shorts
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium - Call for Papers
* Satellite articles
* ARISS Status - 10 March 2008

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.01
AMSAT Store Upgrade

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.01
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.01

The AMSAT store on the website is obtaining a long required
upgrade for many reasons.  During this period, you could normaly
call Martha at HQ in Silver Spring, MD.  Unfortunately, Martha is
going on a vacation taking her away from duties until the 25th.  Be
patient until she returns or the Store re-opens for business as usual.


[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.02
MIR +10

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.02
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.02

ISS Amateur Radio Status: March 11, 2008
By Miles Mann WF1F,
Slow Scan TV from Space Station Mir, 10 years later.
On December 12, 1998 the crew members of the Russian
Space station Mir activated the Marex SSTV system.
Over the next two years the system broadcasted over
20,000 SSTV images back to earth via Amateur Radio.
te the 10 year anniversary of the successful
imaging project, the Marx team is planning on
upgrading our web page system to accommodate the many
images that were transmitted during the projects 2
year run.  In 1998 we just did not have the resources
in place to handle the hundreds of images coming in
every day.  As a result only a small select on of the
images were ever posted for public enjoyment.

73 Miles WF1F MAREX-MG

[ANS thanks Miles, WF1F, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.03
AO-16 Report

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.03
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.03

The AO-16 Command Team invites radio amateurs to continue to use
the voice mode of operations.  Mark, N8MH says, "The plan is to
continue this mode of voice operations until further notice."

AO-16 has been in full sunlight (no eclipse periods at all) for
several months. That is about to change later this month!  Short
eclipse periods will begin at the end of March and will increase
steadily until early July--at which point the eclipse periods will
increase to about 26 minutes each orbit.  We'll have to watch this
old bird and its batteries as the eclipse periods increase.

The S-band beacon is not operational at this time. The exact
status of the S-band transmitter remains unknown.

The AO-16 Command Team has updated the weekly satellite report
entry for this satellite:

AO-16 PACSAT
Catalog number: 20439
Launch Date: January 22, 1990

Status: TESTING - VOICE
Current Mode:  V/U

Uplink:
145.900 MHz RESERVED
145.920 MHz FM VOICE
145.940 MHz RESERVED
145.960 MHz RESERVED

Downlink:  437.026 MHz USB VOICE

[1200-baud PSK-MBL Telemetry Only]

Mode-S Beacon: 2401.1428 MHz [No Future Operations Planed]

Mode and Antenna Polarization:
U: RC  437.050 MHz RHCP
    PSK 437.026 MHz LHCP
V: Linear

[ANS thanks Mark, N8MH, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.04
Satellite Shorts

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.04
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.04

#1.  AMSAT and TAPR will again have a combined Banquet during the
2008 Dayton Hamvention.  Unfortunately the Air Force is no longer
offering the museum for non-military events.  The 2008 AMSAT/TAPR
Banquet will be Friday night, May 16 at the Kohler Presidential
Banquet Center in Kettering, OH. Banquet times, the menu and the
cost will be announced shortly, but all are expected to be similar
to past banquets.  Mark you calendar for Friday, May 16 and join
your AMSAT and TAPR friends for an enjoyable evening.

#2.  The AMSAT Engineering video featuring Bob McGwier had to be
moved.  The new URL is  mms://media.wmfd.com/amsat/EngMovie08.wmv
Bob discusses the engineering team plans for the next year.  They
have a number of things on their plate and it looks like a productive
year for AMSAT Engineering.  Thanks to Rob and Gunther Meisse and
WMFD for hosting the video. We have a number of other amateur videos
in production.

#3. We are evaluating placing the current AO-51 mode on the front
page of the AMSAT web site for a few weeks. We will change the
display as the mode changes.  You can see the entire month's
schedule at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php.


Thanks,
Gould

[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.05
AMSAT-UK Colloquium - Call for Papers

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.05
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.05

AMSAT-UK Colloquium - Call for Papers

This is the first call for speakers for the 22nd Amsat-UK Colloquium
which will be held at Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, U.K.,
from Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July 2007.

Details of this and previous events can be found at:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/32/42/

Amsat-UK invite speakers, about amateur radio space and associated
activities, for this event. They are also invited to submit papers
for the "Proceedings" document which will be published at the same
time but printed papers are not mandatory. We normally prefer authors
to present talks themselves rather than having someone else give them
in the authors' absence. We also welcome "unpresented" papers for the
Proceedings document.

Offers of talks should be submitted as soon as possible; the final
date for full documents to be received is late-June 2007 in order
that the "Proceedings" document be available to participants.

Submissions should be sent *ONLY* to G4DPZ, via the following routes:

Internet e-mail: dave @ g4dpz dot me dot uk

SnailMail: QTHR from http://www.qrz.com

AMSAT-UK also invite anyone with requests for Program Topics to
submit them as soon as possible to G4DPZ. Invitations for any papers
on specific subjects will be included in the future call. Likewise if
anyone knows of a good speaker, please send contact and other
information to G4DPZ.

73

Dave
G4DPZ

[ANS thanks Dave, G4DPZ, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.06
Satellite articles

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.06
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 16, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.06

Hi all,

I have published several articles in relation to ham satellites in AMSAT
and other magazines such as URE, CQ-DL, Megahertz Magazine and several
Webs. But most of them were in Spanish.  I have translated them into
English, you can find the following issues:

- The CJU antenna. It was designed by EB4DKA and EA4CYQ to improve the
UHF reception with your HT, it is thought to uplink with your VHF mobile
station.  You will receive the UHF downlink in the same way a fix
satellite station.

- The IOio antenna. It was designed by EA4CYQ to work V/U and U/V
amateur satellites with an HT.  It has an amazing performance, it is
even better than the Arrow antenna in some features.

- A dual band portable yagui antenna. This is a very well known antenna
into the amateur satellites world.  Here you can find how to build it
with normal stuff and an impressive performance.

- The EGGBEATER II and TPM II antennas.  They were designed by Jerry
K5OE. In this article I tell my experience at the beginning in the
amateur satellites world and all the vicissitudes to work amateur
satellites from my shack with the minimal equipment.  Here you will find
all the details to build these fantastic antennas.

- The 2.4GHz DISH ANTENNA.  Taking advantage of my AO-40 experience I
could go more deeply into the microwaves world.  Here you can find all
the details to build two different 2.4GHz dish feed systems, which you
will be able to use in wireless terrestrial communications.

- The LINEAR TRANSPONDERS.  A lot of amateur satellites use this system.
This article will help you to understand how they work.

- HF or SATELLITES?.  I try to demonstrate with this article that a
satellite fix station is at least as good as an HF station.  You will
get the same performance with small antennas and low power out.

- The DATA CONNECTOR.  This connector has much more possibilities than
to be hooked to a TNC.  In this article I study its features and I
propose to use it with a PC soundcard, to receive meteorological
satellites and I even propose to build a cross band repeater.  You will
be surprised about its possibilities.

- CIRCULAR POLARIZATION.  If you want to know more about this kind of
polarization and you want to see a comparative of VHF and UHF circular
polarized commercial antennas, you should read this article.

- TRANSCEIVERS TO WORK SATELLITES.  If you are thinking about setting up
a fix satellite station, here you can find all the transceivers in the
market and combinations between them to be successful.


- THE EA4CYQ SHACK.  Here I describe my shack, perhaps it could be
useful as a reference if you are thinking about setting up one.

- THE EA4CYQ LOG.  If you have contacted with my station between June
1.996 and March 2.008, here you can find it.  It is in call sign
alphabetical order.  We will upload it in the near future.

You can find them at the following Webs due to the generosity of Pedro
EB4DKA and Rodolfo EA4CAX:

http://eb4dka.laserenadigital.com (also www.eb4dka.tk ).  This Web is
devoted to ham satellites and Pedro has an impressive collection of
photos, videos and interesting articles.  He is an authority working in
portable conditions.

http://personales.ya.com/ea4cax/ Rodolfo is specialized in LEO and
Geostationary meteorological satellites.

O hope you enjoy this articles devoted to promote the amateur satellites.

Juan Antonio
EA4CYQ@amsat.org
73s
----------
Best 73 from Spain
Pedro EB4DKA
eb4dka@amsat.org


[ANS thanks Pedro, EB4DKA,  for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-076.07
ARISS Status - 10 March 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 076.07
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 10, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-076.07



1.	LycñÆ de la Borde Basse Contact Successful

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with
LycñÆ de la Borde Basse in Castres, France took place on Wednesday,
March 5. ESA astronaut LñÐpold Eyharts, FX0STD/KE5FNO, answered 10
questions posed to him by as many students. A representative from the
ESA Education Office gave a presentation to the school and a
photographer was present to cover this event.  The contact audio was fed
into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers,
receiving 7 connections from 6 countries.  La Depeche du Midi ran a Web
story on the event. The article is written in French. See:
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2008/03/06/440113-Castres-Les-lyceens-en-direct-avec-l-espace.html

2.	ARISS Face to Face Meeting to be Held in Moscow

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team will
meet in Moscow, Russia this summer for its annual Face to Face Meeting.
Delegates will arrive on July 15 for the July 17 -18 meeting. Plans are
ongoing.

3.	ARISS Crew Debrief Session

On Friday, March 7, a crew debrief was held with astronaut Dan Tani,
KD5DXE. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
team received feedback on the ARISS radio system onboard the ISS.

4.	Astronaut Training Status

Two Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training
sessions are planned for astronauts Nicole Stott, KE5GJN, and Sandy
Magnus, KE5FYE, with Houston area school, Westbrook Intermediate. The
training sessions, which are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts
using ARISS-equivalent equipment, are planned for Thursday, March 13 at
approximately 14:50 and 15:15 UTC. Audio is expected to be fed into IRLP
and EchoLink servers. Magnus is slated to be a crewmember of Expedition
17/18, flying to the ISS on STS-126 in September 2008. Stott, a member
of the Expedition 19 crew, will fly on STS-128 in May 2009.

5.	ARRL Article on AMSAT, ARISS

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a Web story covering the 2008
plans of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT).  The Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) educational outreach
program and SuitSat-2 are included in this web story. See:
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/03/05/10005?nc=1


[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 week's ANS Editor,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org

















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