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[jamsat-news:2586] ANS-328 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-328

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:
* New publication start up announced
* Popular Magazine Acquired
* PCSAT Recovery Successful
* Nominations Due
* AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation
* ARISS Status - 10 November 2008

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.01
New publication start up announced

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.01
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.01

After the great success of ham-mag (french ham "E-magazine"), we have
decided to make it in ENGLISH !
But to make this challenge we need the help of a lot of O.M's
Everybody can send us informations, technical, homebrew, support, DX,
expedition, sat infos, etc.
The claim is to share all informations about radio.
You can have a look on :
http://www.ham-mag.com

Best 73's
Vincent F5SLD

[ANS Thanks Vincent, F5SLD, for the above information]
/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.02
Popular Magazine Aquired

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.02
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.02

CQ COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES WORLDRADIO MAGAZINE

             (Hicksville, NY and Sacramento, CA, November 12, 2008) --
CQ Communications, Inc. has acquired WorldRadio magazine, CQ Publisher
Dick Ross, K2MGA and WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, announced
jointly today. CQ, based in Hicksville, New York, currently publishes CQ
Amateur Radio, CQ VHF and Popular Communications magazines.
             WorldRadio, based in Sacramento, California, has been
published monthly since July, 1971, with a primary focus on the human
side of ham radio. CQ, a general-interest ham radio magazine best known
for its support of DXing and contesting, has been in print since
January, 1945.
             Armond Noble, N6WR, Publisher of WorldRadio, said that at
the age of 74 the time had come for him to retire. "I wanted to be sure
that WorldRadio found a good home, and that our readers would continue
to be served by an independent voice in amateur radio," Noble said.
             CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, said, "WorldRadio has filled
an important niche in our hobby for nearly four decades. We welcome
WorldRadio's readers to the CQ family, and we look forward to meeting
their needs for many years to come."
             Current plans call for WorldRadio to continue to be
published online as part of the CQ family of magazines, with Editor
Nancy Kott, WZ8C, continuing in that position. WorldRadio subscribers
will also have their subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers
will be notified of details as plans are finalized.

[ANS thanks Rich, W2VU, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.03
PCSAT Recovery Successful

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.03
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.03

PCSAT Recovery Successful, Full Sun Operations Begin December 9

Bob, WB4APR reports from the US Naval Academy Satellite Lab that
PCSAT-1 should return to full operations on 9 Dec 08 when this
sunlight-only veteran bird once again receives solar illumination
for two weeks.

Bob says "This should give a few weeks for some good 2 meter packet
contacts and the opportunity to run a Satellite Simulated Emergency
Test (SSET)". If the ISS is also operational on 145.825, there is
the possibility for some lucky 2-hop DX contacts via both birds.
Combined PCSAT and ISS 1200 baud packet operation on 145.825 MHz
will give 12 opportunities per day for contacts without any change
in your radio.

Operating PCSAT-1 is just like any 1200 baud 2 meter packet
repeater.  Uplink and downlink are on 145.825 and the path is
VIA ARISS.  This path is identical to the ISS path so that you
do not have to change anything between the two spacecraft.
(Until PCSAT-1 is reloaded, however, its digipeating alias is
its FCC call W3ADO-1.)  You can hear it every day right now, but
its packets die before completion because of poor power budget.

Refer to: http://home.comcast.net/~k9jkm/ARISS_Packet_How_To/ for
additional information to configure your TNC for 1200 baud satellite
operation.

Bob continues, "I just commanded PCSAT-1 this week and all functions
are normal. All we need is the first full-sun orbit on the 9th of Dec
to be able to do a full recovery, and then it should last for 2 weeks
or more".

Amateur Radio operators can make two-way contacts, send beacons and
bulletins and send your position so you will show up on the PCSAT web
page at: http://pcsat.aprs.org.

Bob recommends everyone plan on testing their emergency E-mail
capability during the time window of 12 to 15 December for everyone to
try to send an E-mail via the PCSAT or ISS digipeater. Please see the
Satellite Simulated Emergency Test information at:
http://www.aprs.org/sset.html.  You can use any packet system and no
special software is required.

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.04
Nominations Due

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.04
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.04

  The Dayton Hamventionnow is accepting nominations for its 2009
Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement, and Technical Excellence
awards. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 18, 2009. All amateur radio
operators are eligible. The winners will be recognized at the 2009
Hamventionョ, which runs May 15-17.

        The Amateur of the Year Award goes to an individual who has made
a long-term, outstanding commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio.
  The Technical Excellence Award is for the person who has made an
outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur Radio. The
Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an outstanding
contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio, usually someone who
has spearheaded a significant project.

      The Hamventionョ Awards Committee makes the decision on all awards
based in part upon the information it receives--and not on the number of
nominations submitted.

      Documentation that informs the Awards Committee of a candidate's
accomplishments may include magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper
clippings, and even videos (these materials become the property of
Hamventionョ and will not be returned).

      Additional details on these awards and a nomination form are
available on the Dayton Hamventionョ Web site.  Nominations also are
accepted via US mail to Dayton Hamventionョ Awards, PO Box 964, Dayton,
OH 45401.

[ANS thanks Henry Ruminski for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.05
AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.05
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.05


AO-16 Groundstation Predicts Last Days of Operation

AO-16 Groundstation controller, Mark, N8MH reminds amateur satellite
stations that the time for contacts via AO-16 may be drawing short!

AO-16 has been in continuous voice operations since commanded back ON
and configured in voice mail on 15 Sept 2008 at 10:58 UTC.  The control
team's predictions regarding sustained activities seem have been right
on the mark. Recording your observations about AO-16 at:
http://oscar.dcarr.org has been, and will continue to be, very helpful
to the AO-16 control team. Please keep this up, especially over the
upcoming 4 weeks.

Many of you will recall that the "best guess current model" is that a
hardware timer in AO-16 is firing when the craft is at a certain temp-
erature, currently around 15 deg C or cooler.  When the space craft
temperature is over 15 deg C, the hardware timer behaves and continuous
operations are sustained.  The craft temperature is dependent upon solar
illumination.  It appears that around 85% illumination is the "magic
number."  If the orbit puts AO-16 with less than 85% illumination, the
watchdog timer restarts the satellite, and the transmitter shuts down.

Illumination projections (and subsequent temperature predictions)
suggest that we might be able to sustain operations until sometime
in the window of November 22 until December 4, 2008.  So, if you want
to make some AO-16 contacts, you had better get them as soon as
possible!!!

Long term orbital projections suggest that if the satellite hardware
remains fundamentally unchanged (i.e., no deterioration of components
on-board), it will be nearly 10 years before AO-16 receives sufficient
illumination to warm up the spacecraft enough to again support sus-
tained operations!  You can be sure that we'll continue to probe the
craft with commands, in hopes that we something will change in a good
way that will allow us to use the bird for operations of some sort.

It is possible that the transmitter on AO-16 will turn OFF sometime in
the next few days/weeks; this requires some commanding to get it running
again, which means a pass over the Eastern US coast is required for a
change in operational status.  We expect that as the spacecraft cools
down, transmitter shutdowns will become more frequent.

Enjoy this grand old bird while you can!

Current operational mode for AO-16:

Mode FM Voice Repeater ( Downlink is DSB)
Uplink : 145.9200 MHz FM
Downlink 437.0260 MHz SSB

[ANS thanks Mark, N8MH for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-328.06
ARISS Status - 17 November 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 328.06
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 23, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-328.06

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report
November 17, 2008


1. Upcoming School Contacts

Planning continues for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) school contacts.  New approvals are expected this week.

2. Australian School Contact Successful

On Monday, November 10, Anderson's Creek Primary School in Warrandyte,
Victoria, Australia experienced a very successful Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact via telebridge station
VK5ZAI in Kingston, South Australia. Ten students asked two questions
each of astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. An audience of over 230 witnessed
the event including the mayor, sergeant, representative from Rotary,
Bendigo Bank and the Warrandyte High School principal. There were also
many representatives including the president from the local Wireless
Institute.  The majority of the teaching staff also joined in.  The
Herald Sun sent a photographer before and during the event and published
an article in the paper and online. The Education Times, the Victorian
Teacher newspaper, also conducted an interview and will publish a story
in its next edition. The Victorian Space Science Education Centre
published an account of the event in their emailed newsletter to
teachers, and!
   a student was also interviewed on ABC 774 Melbourne radio station.
The audio, which was fed into the Internet Linking Project (IRLP)
Discovery Reflector 9010, received 6 connections. EchoLink received 16
connections from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, England and the U.S.

To view The Herald Sun article, see:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24632605-2862,00.html

The Wireless Institute of Australia published a story covering the contact:
http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2008/20081110-1/index.php

The Victorian Space Science Education Centre also ran a short summary:
http://www.vssec.vic.edu.au/resources/download/capcom/capcom30-1108.pdf

3. International Education Week - ARISS Contact Successful

Students from Maryland, North Carolina and Ecuador participated in a
joint Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact
on Friday, November 14 as part of International Education Week (IEW).
The contact was facilitated by telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. The
students asked 17 questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT.  Enloe Magnet School
had three television stations on site and had interviews with radio
stations and the district PR personnel.  NASA distributed a press
release on this contact.  See:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/08-072.html

On Tuesday, November 18, the schools will tie in to a videoconference
for another IEW session with an expert panel.  Former astronaut Don
Thomas will talk about space exploration and ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer
will give an ARISS overview.  Amateur radio operators from around the
world will also participate, giving talks about amateur radio and their
countries.

4. Japanese Club Talks to ISS Astronaut

Members of the Newcomers Club in Saitama, Japan participated in an
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on
Saturday, November 15.  Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered all twenty
questions posed to him by the 16 students, giving some answers in
Japanese.  Approximately 100 parents and guests attended the event.
Media coverage included 3 newspapers, one television station and one
radio station.  To view the contact video, see:
http://www.ariss.jp/Newcomers/video/Newcomers_contact.wmv

5. ARRL Publishes ARISS News

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) printed three Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) news items in its December issue
of QST.

The "Happenings" column (page 54) had a story with a photo about the
first few days of Richard Garriott's mission as the magazine went to press.

"This Just In -- In Brief" section (page 12) had a paragraph about
Richard Garriott's mission.

A paragraph and photo were printed (page 100) about a revolving display
that is circulating in the San Diego Public libraries.  The display is
about ham radio and includes the topics of satellites, ARISS, packet,
moonbounce, and other ham radio modes.

6. NASA Birthday Celebration Includes ARISS Students

The Naples Daily News ran an article about a Florida school that was
invited to participate in NASA's Digital Learning Network presentation
of its 50th anniversary.
Pine Ridge Middle, a NASA Explorer School, was one of ten schools to
join in the celebration. Pine Ridge students took part in an Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Bill
McArthur, KC5ACR, in February 2006. The story may be found at:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/nov/13/local-students-have-blast-celebrating-nasas-50th-b/

7. NASA Cites Article on ARISS Students

NASA Headquarters News Service picked up on an article about four
students attending Humber College in Toronto who are building two
communications systems to make contact with the space station. Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Delegate Daniel
Lamoureux was interviewed for the article.  See:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jiaytfIhmwAy6LAnx0ey42_unrlg

[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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