SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-359.01 HONORARY DEGREE FOR ZS5AKV HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 359.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DECEMBER 25, 1994 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-359.01 ANS has learned that SARL President Hans van de Groenendaal ZS5AKV was awarded a Master of Engineering degree, honoris causa, at the University of Stellenbosch graduation ceremony held at the University on December 15. In his commendation, the rector, Prof. A H van Wyk, paid tribute to him for his contribution to Amateur Radio and to the Amateur Radio Satellite Service. He said that the awarding of an honorary masters degree to Hans is a recognition of Amateur Radio and the important role that it plays in the community and the contribution that it has made and still is making in the development and promotion of communications technology. The Council of the SARL heartily congratulates Hans on receiving this great honour. He has unstintingly dedicated 32 years of his life to the advancement of Amateur Radio, not only in Southern Africa but also now on a world-wide basis and therefore this recognition is well earned and well deserved. ANS congratulates Has van de Groenendaal on this honor. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-359.02 AO-13 Telemetry Available HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 359.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DECEMBER 25, 1994 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-359.02 Jame Miller G3RUH says that in response to suggestions he has uploaded his (almost) daily AO-13 telemetry archives from 1994 May up to 1994 Nov onto the amsat ftp server. In addition there are a number of support files. This material is available by "anonymous ftp" from: site: ftp.amsat.org OR lorien.qualcomm.com OR 192.35.156.5 in Directories: amsat/satinfo/ao13 and amsat/satinfo/ao13/telemetry. Filenames are of the form: ------------------------------ spec_tlm.doc Full AO-13 telemetry specification spec_wod.doc Format of whole orbit dump K and L blocks demod.zip MK II Decoder specs, ordering, MK I mods telemetry Directory see below ---------------------------------------- 00README.TXT 9405.zip for AO-13 telemetry 1994 for the month of May and 9406.zip for the month of June. etc. Login using the name anonymous and password yourcall@amsat.org. Note that the site_name is "ftp.amsat.org", NOT "amsat.org". /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-359.03 RS-15 Launch Information HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 359.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DECEMBER 25, 1994 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-359.03 LW2DTZ of AMSAT-LU posts the following information regarding the possible launch of RS-15: The RS-15 satellite will be launched by ROKOT launcher. The RS-15 devoted to 100 years of radio discovery by A.S.Popov in Russia. The Laboratory of Aerospace Technique of ROSTO, Russian Society for Military Sport and Technique, is acting as coordination office for radio amateur satellites. Such work is done in close cooperation with Russian Space Agency and others aerospace organizations. The RS-15 analog transponder was made in Tsiolkovskiy Museum for the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga, under the coordination of V. Samkov and A. Papkov. Two years ago I have the oportunity of visit the Kaluga's Laboratory and met with they and saw the flight transponder and a model of the RS-15. He cites UA3CR AMSAT-Russia for the following additional information: Date of launch: 26 December, 1994 Time: 03:00 utc (subject to change) Inclination: 64 deg. 12 min. Period: 124 min. 24 sec. Apogee: 1946 km. Perigee: 1809 km. Other information regarding the satellite and its launch are: Name: RS-15 Launch: Rokot vehicle, refurbished SS-18. Baikonur Uplink: 145.857 - 145.897 MHz Downlink: 29.357 - 29.397 MHz, Power 5 W Beacon #1: 29.398 MHz, CW, Power 0.4 or 1.2 W Beacon #2: 29.353 MHz, CW, Power same as Beacon #1 BulBoard: 2 Kbytes, CW Antennas: Dipoles Weight: 70 kg Atitude: No space stabilization. ANS wishes to than all who have provided information regarding the possoble launch of RS-15, inclusing UA3CR, DB2OS ans LW2DTZ /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-359.04 SKN IS COMING! HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 359.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DECEMBER 25, 1994 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-359.04 YOU'RE INVITED TO THE 22ND ANNUAL "STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT ON OSCAR" As you know, ARRL has for many years sponsored Straight Key Night (SKN) on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, 1972 (January 1, 1973 UTC), a few of us from the AMSAT 75-meter Net decided that we would try to combine the best of the old and the new in Amateur Radio by operating in Straight Key Night on what was then the brand-new communications satellite, AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Since then, proud "brasspounders" have kept the tradition going by operating CW on OSCAR using straight keys for at least a little while on every New Year's Day (UTC) when there's been an OSCAR to work. You're most cordially invited to join in the 23rdnd annual celebration. It's entirely informal and unofficial; there are no rules, no scoring and no need to send in a log. Just call CQ SKN in the CW passband segment of any OSCAR satellite between 00:00 and 23:59 UTC on January 1, 1995, or answer a CQ SKN call from another station. as we did last year, we're changing things a little: also counting QSOs made via the oldest, largest and most reliable communications satellite, OSCAR Zero, otherwise known as the moon. AMSAT didn't build it, but we can adopt it! Of course, all SKN operating must be done with a straight hand key. Just as in the ARRL HF version of this event, we're conducting a search for the OSCAR SKN operator with the "best fist." Please send in a nomin- ation of someone you worked; we'll announce the winner or winners via packet bulletin. Nominations may be sent to Ray Soifer via packet to W2RS @ WA2SNA.NJ. USA. NA, from Europe to W2RS @ GB7HSN.#32.GBR.EU, via Internet to w2rs@amsat. org, or by mail via his Callbook address. The AMSAT News Service (ANS) wold like to thank Ray Soifer W2RS for this bulletin item. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-359.05 BEST WISHES TO ALL HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 359.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD DECEMBER 25, 1994 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-359.05 On behalf of AMSAT-NA and the AMSAT New Service I want to extend to all of those interested in amateur radio satellites the best for these joyous holidays and the coming year. 73s (and as appropriate) 88s to all, Bill Tynan W3XO President AMSAT-NA /EX