Yearly Archives: 2011

Nov 6 2011

OSCAR 1 Video

A prototype of the first Amateur Radio satellite OSCAR 1 has been on display at the AMSAT symposium in San Jose.  OSCAR-1 was launched nearly 50 years ago on December 12, 1961 and its beacon sent the letters HI on 144.9830 MHz CW.

Bob Allison, WB1GCM of ARRL’s Technical Lab led the effort to refurbish the OSCAR 1 prototype on display at ARRL headquarters. With the help of OSCAR 1 developer Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, Bob and his team got OSCAR 1 operational again.

The refurbished OSCAR-1 was on display at the ARRL exhibit area at the 2011 Dayton Hamvention. The OSCAR 1 prototype was again on display during the AMSAT Symposium where everyone was able to once again hear the CW transmissions (now managed by a PIC controller) in the 145 MHz band.

Additionally, the AMSAT News Service will re-run the weekly Project OSCAR Newsletters to commemorate the 50th anniversary of OSCAR 1. During the November/December 2011 time frame you will be able to share the excitement of the launch campaign that started it all 50 years ago.

Watch for the re-publication of the Project OSCAR Newsletters in the AMSAT Journal [AMSAT-NA] . The Newsletters were hand-typed back in 1961. Thanks to Don Ferguson, KD6IRE for scanning the original documents announcing OSCAR 1.

Watch OSCAR 1 – 1st Amateur Radio Sat at AMSAT space symposium 2011 – San Jose,CA

AMSAT News Servce http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/

Nov 6 2011

CubeSat UHF Downlink Frequencies Chart

Christophe has produced a handy chart showing the CubeSat UHF downlink frequencies.

http://cubesat.free.fr/IMG//pdf/Cubesat_-_frequence_bande_U.pdf

CubeSat France in Google English http://tinyurl.com/CubeSatfFrance

Nov 4 2011

Astronaut Julie Payette Interviewed

Astronaut Julie Payette and Pete Sipple 2E0PSL

Astronaut Julie Payette and Pete Sipple 2E0PSL

In a recent podcast Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) member Pete Sipple 2E0PSL asked NASA astronaut Julie Payette about the Amateur Radio station on the ISS.

Julie Payette was a flight engineer on two ISS missions, STS-96 and STS-127, and her answer can be heard in the ISS Essex Ham podcast in which Pete 2E0PSL also speaks to the Chair of CARS John Bowen G8DET.

Sarah Sipple M6PSK with Julie Payette

Sarah Sipple M6PSK with Astronaut Julie Payette

Listen to the ISS Essex Ham podcast at
http://www.essexham.co.uk/audio/essexham_iss.mp3

Read about the interview at
http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/working-the-international-space-station.html

Pete 2E0PSL acheived his Intermediate licence this year on one of the CARS amateur radio training courses.

To find out more about the courses speak to Clive G1EUC
Tel: 01245-224577
Mob: 07860-418835
E-mail: training2011 at g0mwt.org.uk
Web: http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/training/

Essex Ham http://www.essexham.co.uk/

Oct 31 2011

AMSAT-NA AGM Available on EchoLink

The 2011 AMSAT-NA Annual General Meeting will be broadcast on EchoLink node 101377 on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 beginning about 2215 UTC.

The Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the AMSAT Symposium in San Jose, CA from Nov. 4-5, 2011 and is scheduled to last one hour and forty-five minutes.

To hear it connect to the AMSAT Conference server [node 101377] which should accommodate 100 users.

AMSAT EchoLink Conference http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/articles/echolink/

Oct 31 2011

Android App to Fly on STRaND-1 Smartphone Satellite

When a competion was run to find Apps  to fly on the Smartphone CubeSat STRaND-1 one of the wining entries was an App which was a spin-off of the work done by the AMSAT-UK FUNcube team. See the story at:

http://www.blackpepper.co.uk/posts/android-app-to-fly-on-strand-1-nanosat-mission/

A detailed article on STRaND-1 appeared in a recent edition of the newsletter OSCAR News published by AMSAT-UK. It can be downloaded from http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf

The video of a presentation on STRaND-1 is at http://www.batc.tv/vod/Strand.flv

Join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/

 

 

Oct 31 2011

AMSAT-NA Awards Announcement

AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO says that congratulations are in order for the latest AMSAT Awards recipients:The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO:

  • Stephen Licht, WF2S
  • Jay Hitchcock, KI6WZU
  • Costantino Montella, IK8YSS
  • Jackson Wilson, KF5LOQ

The following have earned the AMSAT Communications Achievement Award:

  • Clayton Coleman, W5PFG #542
  • Csaba-Zoltan Kertesz, YO6PIB #543
  • Yanko Yankov, NX9G #544
  • Jackson Wilson, KF5LOQ #545

The following have earned the South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award:

  • Clayton Coleman, W5PFG #US171
  • Csaba-Zoltan Kertesz, YO6PIB #US172
  • Yanko Yankov, NX9G #US173
  • Jackson Wilson, KF5LOQ #US174

The following have earned their Robert W. Barbee, Jr. W4AMI Award:

  • Branko Martincic, 9A3ST #74

The following have earned their Robert W. Barbee, Jr. W4AMI 5000 Award:

  • Gale McDaniel, KB0RZB #28

To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org.

[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information]

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]