SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.01 HAMSAT Available for Use AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.01 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.01 Shortly after launch amateur operators noticed that HAMSAT's transponder was on and questioned whether it was appropriate to be using the satellite yet. Pop, VU2POP from AMSAT India says, "Go ahead and use HAMSAT and give us your feedback". Heard/worked reports should be emailed to reports@amsat.in More information is available at www.amsatindia.com and www.amsat.in [ANS thanks Pop, VU2POP for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.02 AMSAT at Dayton AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.02 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.02 The 2005 Dayton Hamvention is quickly approaching (May 20-22). Basic information on AMSAT's activities at Hamvention can be found on the AMSAT web-page (www.amsat.org/amsat-new/articles/Dayton2005). Dayton is a three-day 'marathon' with an immense amount of activity. The 2005 edition is looking to be an exciting weekend with pre-registration activities suggesting that this year's Hamvention may see a bump in attendance. Dayton is also the site of the 2005 ARRL National Convention which has also generated interest. For those planning to use GPS to Hamvention, Hara Arena's location in degrees/decimal minutes is: N 39 49.223 W 84 15.335 AMSAT Booth Activities AMSAT will be in the same booth location as previous years: Booth spaces 445-448. Our focus this year is on membership and highlighting our future direction. We expect to have a very busy booth this year with a variety of updated and new items including new shirts, new and updated publications, software and more. Booth hours on Friday are 0900-1800. The hours on Saturday are 0800-1700 and 0800-1300 on Sunday. Overall, the AMSAT booth will be open for 23 hours over the weekend. Former Astronaut Dr. Tony England, W0ORE will be at the AMSAT booth from 1100-1200 on Friday. Dr. England flew onboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985 and was the second astronaut to use amateur radio while in space. This is a great opportunity to 'talk space' with a NASA space veteran and gain some insight into how amateur radio's presence in space can encourage young people to consider a career in math and the sciences. Given the return to flight of the Shuttle this summer (now scheduled for July) and the continuing developments surrounding the Moon/Mars initiative, it should be a wonderful time to 'talk shop' at the AMSAT booth. Tony will also be attending the Friday night AMSAT dinner at the Amber Rose and will be our after dinner speaker (noted below). AMSAT-NA President Rick Hambly, W2GPS will be available at the AMSAT booth over much of the weekend to meet with AMSAT members. He is holding official 'office hours' from 1400-1500 Friday, 1400-1500 Saturday, and 0900-1000 on Sunday morning as he has committed to being at the booth during those hours. If you'd like to talk to the AMSAT President about something that is on your mind, this would be an excellent opportunity to meet with him. [ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.03 Membership Drive and Prize Drawing at Dayton AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.03 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.03 AMSAT will once again offer a 'membership incentive' at Hamvention in order to encourage new members to join and have current members renew during the Dayton Hamvention. The membership theme is "AMSAT: We ARE Rocket Scientists." To encourage membership, we will offer a membership prize raffle once again. This year's drawing will feature a SSB UEK-3000 2.4 GHz downconverter with the winner specifying which IF (2 meters or 435 MHz) the downconverter will feature. For an individual to be eligible for the prize drawing, the following criteria must be met: a. An individual must cover the cost of a membership to AMSAT-NA. Annual basic cost of US membership is $39.00 while cost to personnel residing in Canada or Mexico is $45.00 and memberships for all others is $50.00. b. Both new memberships and renewals of existing memberships at the suitable level are eligible for the drawing. c. New membership/renewals must be done at the AMSAT booth at Dayton Hamvention. d. Only one membership per individual will qualify. This means an individual who elects for a multi-year membership receives one chance just as an individual who selects a one year membership. e. Individuals who currently hold a Life Membership may elect to donate to AMSAT the equivalent of one year's membership ($39.00 US). In addition, AMSAT will continue to offer memberships at various 'premium levels', which qualifies individuals to receive various incentives. For example, the newly updated laminated AMSAT Frequency Chart will be given to those who pay the basic membership fee while SAT PC-32 will be offered to those who pay at the "QRO 75" level ($75.00 in US, $81.00 in Canada/Mexico, and $85.00 elsewhere). Again, each new member or renewal will qualify the new/renewing member for this drawing. The drawing for the SSB UEK-3000 downconverter will be done at the AMSAT booth at 1200 on Sunday, May 22. The winner does not have to be present to win and AMSAT will cover the cost of shipping the equipment to the member's address as shown on the membership form. If the winner is present at the drawing, the individual may take the equipment home directly (and save AMSAT the shipping costs). While some may regret that we could not include renewals outside of Dayton, the logistics of such an option makes it impractical to extend the program beyond Dayton. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of this incentive is to encourage new memberships from those who attend our Hamvention Forums and visit the AMSAT booth where they can meet members, obtain information, and be encouraged to join our hobby. The March-April 2005 issue of the AMSAT Journal (currently being mailed to AMSAT members) includes an announcement that effective June 1, 2005 AMSAT membership dues will increase to $44.00/year for regular membership (with commensurate increases for the other membership categories). The Dayton Hamvention presents an excellent opportunity to renew prior to the membership dues increase. [ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.04 AMSAT-NA Membership Dues Changing AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.04 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.04 The AMSAT Board of Directors has voted to increase AMSAT membership dues to $44.00 from the current $39.00 effective June 1, 2005. This 12% increase follows a $3.00 increase that took effect on January 1, 2004. Life membership is also increased accordingly, to $880 (20x annual membership). Family membership will continue to be ½ regular membership, or $22.00 per family member. (Family membership is contingent upon a regular or life member residing in the same household). Those who join AMSAT or renew their current membership prior to the end of May can do so before the price increase. Early renewal is encouraged. The old membership dues will also be honored at the upcoming Dayton Hamvention (May 20-22). Details on the membership increase, an overview of why the BOD made this decision, and the potential impact are discussed in the March/April 2005 issue of the AMSAT Journal which has been mailed to current AMSAT members. [ANS thanks the AMSAT BoD for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.05 UO-11 Silent AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.05 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.05 OSCAR-11's VHF beacon (145.826 Mhz) switched ON as expected 28 April, and was last heard on 30 April 16:04 UTC. Nothing heard on 02 May, and each day since then. Solar eclipses started 27 April, reaching an average 9.7% of orbit time by 02 May. Problems had been expected during the eclipse season, but not quite so soon! UO-11 reception reports would be appreciated. [ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-128.06 ARISS Status - 02 May 2005 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 128.06 >From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 8, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-128.06 1. Upcoming School Contacts Hosokawa Junior High School, in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan has been scheduled for a contact on Monday, 09 May 2005 at 08:00 UTC. 2. ARRL Article on Chiao's Record Breaking Contact An audience of approximately 140 students, teachers and parents attended Switzerland's first ARISS contact between the ISS and Schulhaus Feld 1 on April 19. Radio Zurichsee, and two newpapers, Zürichsee Zeitung and Tages Anzeiger, covered the event. This school was Leroy Chiao's twenty-third contact, making him the new record holder of most contacts performed during one mission on the ISS. ARRL's article, "Expedition 10 Commander Racks up School QSO Record," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/04/26/3/?nc=1 3. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, April 26. Agenda items discussed included the ARISS Face-to-Face Meeting which will be held in conjunction with the AMSAT-UK Colloquium at the University of Surrey in Guildford. The Colloquium will be held on July 29-31 followed by the ARISS meeting on August 1-2. For more information, see: http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/default.php The status of the SSTV was also covered. The outgassing tests have been completed, documents are being finalized, and an August Progress manifest is being considered. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information] /EX