SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.01 Plan for AO-51 Kid's Day on June 17 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 11, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.01 Mike, KE4AZN, Amsat VP-Operations, and Echo Command Station says AMSAT-NA, the AO-51 Command Team, and the AO-51 Operations Team will sponsor Kid's Day on AO-51 on June 17, 2006. The event is open to all kids, worldwide. We ask all amateur radio stations to give this short time window to promote satellite operations with kids, by actually showing a kid how to make contacts via AO-51, providing a station to contact, or stepping aside to allow others to make contacts with the kids. During the event, please limit contacts to stations that are operating with kids at the microphone. This should allow the kids to have a nice QSO and pass some information. Kids can tell their name, age, who is helping them operate on AO-51, where they live, and other information about themselves. AO-51 will be configured in the following mode during the event. Please note we will use the normal AO-51 uplink frequency for the event with the PL tone will be turned ON. Uplink: 145.920 mhz FM voice 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 mhz FM voice The digital transponder on 435.150 will be turned off during the event. See http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html on the ARRL website for more Kids Day information. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN, Echo Command Station for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.02 ARISS In Crossband Repeater Mode for Field Day AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 11, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.02 The ARISS Phase 2 station will be configured in crossband repeater mode--437.800 MHz up/145.800 MHz down, but it's being requested that **ONLY** low-power (QRP) Earth stations access the system. The definition of a QRP station for this activation will be the same criteria that AMSAT is using for its QRP operations on ECHO (AO-51) for Field Day. AO-51 ECHO/ISS LOW POWER STATION (QRP) REQUIREMENTS: To attempt to keep this simple a low power station will be defined as a station which can deliver no more than 10 watts to a vertical or handheld antenna. Some examples of Low Power Stations: 1. Using an HT (barefoot, no amplifier) with 10 watts or less output into any type of vertical whip antenna (rubber duck, etc) or handheld beam antenna (arrow type). 2. Using a mobile station with 10 watts or less output into car mounted mobile whip antenna(s). 3. Using a base station at 10 watts output into a vertical Omni directional antenna on the side of the house. Examples that are **NOT** Low Power Stations: 1. Any type of high gain beam antenna, KLM, M2, Cushcraft, etc. 2. Any station transmitting over 10 watts into any type of antenna. The crossband repeater should be activated Thursday, June 22 (late in the crew day) so ground operators can have a chance to practice with their QRP setups and learn how best to deal with the Doppler on the uplink. It will be deactivated on Monday as required for the docking of the Progress cargo supply ship. If Jeff Williams (KD5TVQ) and/or Pavel Vinogradov (RV3BS) do get a chance to talk on the radio, they will be using the crossband repeater mode and will be giving "NA1SS, 1 Alpha, ISS" or "RS0ISS, 1Alpha, ISS" respectively. REMINDER - Contacts through the ISS crossband repeater count as a satellite contact for Field Day bonus points, but contacts with the crew do not count for Field Day satellite bonus points. [ANS thanks Ken, N5VHO, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.03 21st Amsat-UK Colloquium-Second Call for Speakers AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 11, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.03 This is the second call for speakers for the 21st Amsat-UK Colloquium, which will be held at Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, U.K., from Friday 28 July to Sunday 30 July 2006. Amsat-UK invite speakers, about amateur radio space and associated activities, for this event. Offers of talks should be submitted as soon as possible. Submissions should be sent *ONLY* to David Johnson, G4DPZ, via the following routes: Internet e-mail: g4dpz@amsat.org 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. Likewise if anyone knows of a good speaker, please send contact and other information to G4DPZ. Additionally, Amsat-UK will be running sessions specifically for Beginners to amateur satellite operating on the Friday; volunteers are wanted to speak at these sessions. For details of the Colloquium, please visit: http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium You can also book you place at the colloquium on the web site. [ANS thanks Dave, G4DPZ, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.04 2006 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference-Call for Papers AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 11, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.04 Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 25th Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 15-17, 2006 in Tucson, Arizona. These papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31, 2006. Please send papers to: Maty Weinberg ARRL 225 Main St Newington, CT 06111 or you can make your submission via e-mail to: maty@arrl.org Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights. [ANS thanks Steve, WB8IMY, for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.05 ARISS Status - 05 June 2006 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 11, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.05 1. Salt Brook Elementary School Contact - Rescheduled Salt Brook Elementary School in New Providence, New Jersey was scheduled for an ARISS contact on Wednesday, May 31. The school experienced technical difficulties and the contact did not take place. The rescheduled contact for Monday, June 5 at 13:53 UTC was successful. 2. ARRL Article on Virgilio Contact ARRL ran a web story about the Virgilio Primary School contact in Mestre, Italy. To view "Italian Primary Schoolers Get Front Row Seat to Space," go to: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/05/31/100/?nc=1 3. ARRL Covers Award Ceremony ARRL ran an article covering the award ceremony held at Space Center Houston where Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, received his Worked All States award. "ISS Astronaut Honored for Working all States, Inspiring Others from Space" may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/06/01/103/?nc=1 4. ARISS Receives Group Achievement Award In a ceremony held at Johnson Space Center, the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station team was presented with a JSC Group Achievement Award for the support provided during the Expedition 12 mission, which resulted in a record number of ARISS contacts performed. ISS Ham Payload Integration Manager, Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, accepted the award on behalf of the team. 5. Expedition 13 Invited to Participate in Field Day 2006 Expedition 13 crew members have been invited to participate in ARRL's Field Day 2006 to be held over the June 24-25 weekend. Passes over the U.S. may not be ideal for contacting the ISS, but it has been suggested to place the radio in crossband repeat mode and make it available for the QRP (low-power operating) community as defined by AMSAT guidelines. 6. NASA Features ARISS Contacts NASA ran a story covering Bill McArthur's numerous ARISS contacts during Expedition 12, the support he received from the ARISS team and especially from ISS Ham Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO. The article, entitled, "Hamming It Up: Space to Kids Radio," may be found at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition12/exp12_ham_radio.html [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.06 Deadline Approaches for AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 4, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.06 It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. A nomination requires either one Member Society or five current individual members to noninate an AMSAT member for the position. A director serves for a period of two years. Three directors' terms expire this year: Tom Clark, K3IO, Lou McFadin, W5DID, and Paul Shuch, N6TX. Written nominations must be received at the AMSAT office no later than 12 June 2006. Nominations MUST be in writing and mailed to: AMSAT 850 Sligo Ave #600 Silver Spring, MD 20901 [ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.07 Delfi-C3 CubeSat Team Provides Update on Their Next Satellite AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 4, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.07 This week, Wouter Jan Ubbels, PE4WJ, the Delfi-C3 Project Manager Electronic Systems and Communications at the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands sent information about the next satellite being designed at the University. Delfi-C3 is based on a three-unit CubeSat. Its primary mission objective will be, besides being an educational one, a technology demonstration of three novel payloads. It will also include a Mode U-V Amateur Radio linear transponder with 40kHz bandpass running 400mW PEP. Telemetry decoding software will be made available to amateur radio operators and universities which will allow them to decode and display near real time telemetry. Delfi-C3 will have a 1200 Baud AX.25 BPSK downlink so they plan to include the possibility of using the soundcard to decode the telemetry instead of having the need for a separate hardware PSK modem. This software is planned to allow for a data upload to the central Delfi-C3 ground station via the Internet for data processing. The satellite will be in telemetry mode for the first three months of the mission, after which it will be switched to transponder mode. At present breadboards and prototype hardware are being produced. The University aims for a launch in 2007. The Delfi-C3 team is planning to attend the AMSAT-UK colloquium this year where they will give a presentation on the progress of the project. You can find more information on Delfi-C3 at their website: http://www.delfic3.nl /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.08 ARISS Status May 29, 2006 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.08 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 4, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.08 1. Virgilio Primary School Contact Successful On Monday, May 22, fifteen students at the Virgilio Primary School in Mestre, Venice, Italy spoke with astronaut Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ. Fifteen questions were asked and answered as approximately 250 stud- ents and teachers looked on. Several media outlets covered the event, including television stations RAI 3 Veneto, Antenna 3, Televenezia, and Canale 5, and Il Gazzettino and La Nuova Mestre/Venezia newspapers. 2. School Contacts The ARISS contact with Salt Brook Elementary School in New Providence, New Jersey was unsuccessful on Wednesday, May 31. To be rescheduled at a later date. Scarlett Middle School, a NASA Explorer School, in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been scheduled for a contact on Tuesday, June 6. The event will be publicized electronically. Media coverage may include the Ann Arbor News and local radio stations: WUOM, WEMU and WAAM. Arrow Communications, the local Amateur Radio club, will coordinate and promote the event with the local newspaper and area television stations. 3. Crew Debrief Held On May 24, the ARISS-U.S. team participated in a crew debrief with Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. Bill’s overall impression of the ARISS program was positive. 4. ARISS Delegates Give Talks at Hamvention ARISS Delegates Frank Bauer and Rosalie White participated in a joint presentation entitled, “ARISS and SuitSat: Current Status and Future Opportunities," at the Dayton Hamvention 2006 AMSAT Forum. Rosalie also gave two talks, "10 Million Hits Tracking an Empty Russian Space Suit" at the ARRL Expo 2006 in Dayton on May 19 and 20. 5. SuitSat Man - a Big Hit at the Dayton Hamvention! Dressed in a spacesuit labeled “SuitSat-2”, Russell Hummel, WB4PGT, a member of the Medical Informatics and Technology Applications Consortium (MITAC), a NASA partnership, made an appearance at the Dayton Hamvention 2006. His attire was well received by hams as they await the re-entry of SuitSat-1 into the earth’s atmosphere, and created enthusiasm as the amateur radio community looks forward to SuitSat-2 development planning and potential launch in 2007. A photo can be seen on the ARRL blog: http://www.arrl.org/blog/Dayton%202006 6. McArthur Receives Worked All States Award Several ARISS members attended Space Center Houston on Thursday, May 25 to hear Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, speak about his time aboard the ISS. ARISS Chairman and AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, took the opportunity to present a plaque to Bill for his honorary Worked All States award, having contacted amateur radio stations from all 50 states during his Expedition 12 mission. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-155.09 SatPC32 Version 12.5 Released AMSAT News Service Bulletin 155.09 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. June 4, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-155.09 Erich Eichmann, DK1TB has released version 12.5 of his popular satellite tracking program SatPC32. The new version adds features and fixes bugs found in earlier versions. Erich has donated SatPC32 as a fund raiser for AMSAT-NA, AMSAT-DL, and AMSAT-UK. The program can be downloaded from the author's web site: http://www.dk1tb.de/downloadeng.htm The downloaded version is a demo version that requires the user to enter their lat/lon every time they start the program. The program can be made fully functional by purchasing a registration code from the AMSAT store: http://www.amsat-na.com/category.php?c=Software Presently the only way to get version 12.5 is to download it until AMSAT can offer the version 12.5 on CD. Existing SatPC32 users may upgrade to version 12.5 for free. Use your existing registration password. Contact, Wayne, W9AE via e-mail at [his-callsign at amsat dot org] if you purchased an earlier CD that did not come with a registration password. /EX