Dec 12 2011

50th Anniversary of OSCAR 1

Lance Ginner K6GSJ with OSCAR 1

The first amateur radio satellite OSCAR 1 was launched 50 years ago on December 12, 1961.

OSCAR 1 was battery powered and signals lasted for about two weeks. It re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on January 31, 1962.

The AMSAT News Service is re-running the Project OSCAR Newsletters to commemorate the 50th anniversary of OSCAR 1.

The Newsletters were hand-typed back in 1961. Thanks to Don Ferguson, KD6IRE for scanning the original documents announcing OSCAR 1.

This is from the newsletter produced on that historic day and reproduces the historic telegram sent by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) with the news that OSCAR 1 had been received in the United Kingdom.

O S C A R N E W S L E T T E R

December 12, 1961

OSCAR SATELLITE IN ORBIT

At 2041 GMT, 12 December 1961 the Oscar satellite was hurled into orbit by the Discoverer XXXVI launching vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The satellite immediately went into a North-South orbit and was picked up loud and clear by the hams at KC4USB (Marie Byrd Base) at the South Pole a few minutes after launch. The word was quickly relayed back to the Oscar Tracking Station, K6QEZ, by W4ABY. Acquisition was also obtained by hams at Kodiak, Alaska and by KH6UK in Hawaii on the first pass.

Oscar is on a frequency between 144.990 and 145.008 and has tremendous c.w. signal strength on a direct, overhead pass! Tracking reports have begun to flow into the Center. W1AW heard the first pass S9 over the East coast.

The following telegram was received by the Center from the RSGB:
OSCAR HEARD 0055 GMT X KEYING OK X STRENGTH NINE PLUS X DOPPLER SEVEN KC X FURTHER DATA AIR HAIL X.

Orbit is being computed, but insufficient time has elapsed to permit predictions to be made of time Oscar will pass over your area. Listen to W1AW and the Voice of America for orbital predictions. Continuous 24-hour a day monitoring is essential until predictions are established. In fact, this monitoring is urged to check for unpredicted reception at times when the Oscar satellite is theoretically out of range! Our thanks to the Air Force and men of Vandenburgh AFB who helped to make this historic milestone possible!

Actual launch was attended by W6SAI, K6LFH, W6MLZ and W0TSN. Full Oscar story in February QST and CQ and more details in our next news letter!

AMSAT News Service (ANS)

Listen to an original audio recording of OSCAR 1 here

Interview with OSCAR Pioneer Lance Ginner K6GSJ

Project OSCAR History

The February 1962 edition of QST carried several articles on OSCAR 1. Our thanks to ARRL for permission to post them here.

OSCAR 1 Launch on front cover of QST Feb 1962
The OSCAR Satellite
Communications for Project Oscar
Sixty Years of Radio Amateur Communication – Marconi to the OSCAR Satellite

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information. Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf Join online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK

Dec 11 2011

FrequencyCast ARISSat-1 Video

The UK Tech Podcast, FrequencyCast, has released a short video showing reception in Essex of FM voice and an SSTV image from the amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1.

The 145.950 MHz FM signal was recorded at 1055 UT on November 14, 2011 and was uploaded to support the feature at http://www.essexham.co.uk/arissat

Watch ARISSat-1 Amateur Radio Satellite Pass 14 Nov 2011

Catch the Last ARISSat-1 Telemetry Competition
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/11/09/catch-the-last-arissat-1-telemetry/

ARISSat-1 Re-entry Date January ? http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/01/arissat-1-re-entry-date/

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

FrequencyCast – The UK’s TV and Tech Podcast http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/

Dec 11 2011

BBC Micro and AMSAT-UK Software Library

The 6502 based BBC Microcomputer

The first 6502 based BBC microcomputers were produced on December 1, 1981. They proved popular with radio amateurs who used them for RTTY, Cambridge Packet Radio, SSTV and running the AMSAT-UK software library.

The Cambridge Packet Radio software was popular in the years before the widespread adopton of the AX.25 standard. The free software enabled users to send and receive packet radio direct from the BBC Micros cassette tape interface without needing a seperate modem. Software for other modes required an additional modem interface such as the IGADUMA which was produced by radio amateurs in Hertfordshire. Continue reading →

Dec 11 2011

AMSAT VP-Educational Outreach

Mark Hammond, N8MH appointed AMSAT VP-Educational Outreach

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has announced the appointment of Mark Hammond, N8MH as AMSAT Vice President-Educational Relations.

Barry noted, “The subject of educational outreach was well discussed at the 2011 AMSAT Symposium, based upon the paper that I presented as well as other presentations that outlined some of the challenges that AMSAT has experienced in creating a structure for fulfilling our mission component regarding education. Mark has agreed to help AMSAT establish and coordinate an education initiative program and serve as AMSAT s senior point of contact with outside organizations regarding educational outreach.”

Given the increasing importance of fulfilling education goals as
justification for launch opportunities, this is an increasingly important subject for AMSAT.

Mark is aptly suited for this position as he is a professor of biology and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC and is very familiar with the potential for using the amateur radio satellites as a teaching resource and understands the teacher perspective as well.