SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.01 AMSAT HAMVENTION DINNER INFO HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.01 As has been the custom for past few years, AMSAT will hold a Dinner during the HAMVENTION. The time and place of this year's dinner will be Friday 17 May at 7:30 PM (6:30 Happy Hour) at the Amber Rose Restaurant on 1400 Valley St. Dayton. Those wishing to register should contact Gerd Schrick WB8IFM. Gerd can be reached at wb8ifm@amsat.org. ANS thanks Gerd Schrick, WB8IFM, for this bulletin. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.02 AMSAT WEB PAGE UPDATES HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.02 The History and Future Satellites web pages on the AMSAT web server. You can view the pages at: A Brief History of Amateur Satellites http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/history.html The Future of Amateur Satellites http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/future.html The present satellite pages have been updated making corrections, changes in operating modes, and adding references. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/satsum.html Thanks to: University of Surrey's Center for Satellite Engineering Research Small Satellites Home Page and Carl Gregory's, K8CG, WinOrbit's Satellite List ANS thanks Steven R. Bible, N7HPR, for this news item. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.03 TI9 DX-Pedition HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.03 TI9 DX-Pedition Date: April 25 ~ May 5, 1996 (minimum Operation: 4/27,28,29,30 ) Departure from Costa Rica by boat on April 25. Appear in Costa Rica back on May 5. It will take at least one day by sailing for Cocos Island / one way. Operation in night as well as daytime by special landing permissions Callsign: TI9X for HF and TE9RLI for satellite Operators: 5 operators ( JH1NBN, TI5RLI, TI5KD, JI3ERV, 7L2RPY ) Band (Planned): 160 *,1.825 SSB & CW 80 *,3795 SSB & CW 40 *,7045 SSB & CW 30 * CW 20 *,195/085/025 SSB & CW & RTTY 17 * SSB & CW 15 *,295 SSB & CW 12 * SSB & CW 10 *,395 SSB & CW 6 50.110 BEACON SSB & (CW) SAT *,.850 SSB & CW, AO13&AO10 .880 ( SSB for JA ) and .870 CW ( * common DX frequency ) QSL: JH1NBN ( Callbook Address ) Please use Returned envelope bigger than 4 inch X 6 inch. We appreciate it if you put small amount of donation in. * JH1NBN routes QSL upon following operations as well; 3A/JH1NBN, KH8AL/HK0, VP2MEY, JH1NBN/TI5 ANS thanks Robert Brown, N7STU/YB2ARO, DM07aa/OI52ee,and Yuki, JH1NBN, for the DX news. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.04 Walt Rader WA3DMF HOSPITALIZED HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.04 Walt Rader WA3DMF, who handles the AMSAT callsign badges and is Manager of the AMSAT QSL Bureau has had a heart attack. He is at Walter Reed Hospital and at this time, I do not know if surgery is indicated. Please send get well cards and wishes to: Walt Rader 3702 Allison St., Brentwood MD 20722 ANS thanks Martha Saragovitz for this news information. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.05 AO-27 (EYESAT) SATELLITE STATUS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.05 AO-27 (EYESAT) This FM satellite is now on 7 days a week, but only during daylight hours. It turns on a few minutes after it comes into the sun and remains on for a fixed length of time. At the present time it isn't set very well for current solar conditions over North America. It comes on too far to the north and thus turns off while much of the pass is still available. AO-27 is easy to work. It is reported that one op, N7SFI, in Park City UT, works it regularly and has been heard on with an HT. A hint, if one is working it with an FM only rig: try setting the tuning steps as small as possible and listen on about 436.805 as the satellite is approaching. Switch to 436.800 as it nears the abeam position, and then 436.795 as it is going away. This assumes that 5 kHz is the smallest available tuning step. For smaller tuning steps, one can use more precise doppler compensation. It is not necessary to move the transmit frequency off of 145.850. ANS thanks JC Smith, KC6EIJ for this useful information. /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-103.06 MORE MIR QSO's HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 103.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, APRIL 12, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-103.06 A number of people have reported working MIR. One is Peter Klein, KD7MW He reports working it during the evening of Friday 4/12. He had no luck on the first pass at 0652 UTC, but on the one at 0829 UTC, after calling several times, Shannon came back to him at 0836. Peter only had time to say hello, confirm solid copy on both ends, and say good evening/good morning in Russian to the cosmonauts, before MIR dropped below the local terrain at about 10 degrees. Peter says of the contact, "I have to tell you, speaking to an astronaut in space for the first time is a thrill unlike anything I've ever experienced, except perhaps my very first DX QSO back in 1969." KD7MW was using a Yaesu 736R and 100-watt TE amp to an eggbeater omni antenna about 3 feet above a 1-story roof and was manually tuning for doppler after each call. Peter notes that a fancy beam is not necessary to work an object a couple hundred miles in space. He comments that he had no competition, so the amp was probably overkill, but he had no way of knowing that beforehand. He says that he often works RS-10 comfortably with 25 watts. Peter concludes by saying that it was hard to get to sleep after all the excitement. ANS thanks Peter Klein, KD7MW for this interesting and inspiring account. /EX