Jul 12 2012

Amateur Radio Satellites mentioned on Phoenix FM Drivetime show

Phoenix FM – Scott Ross and Pete Sipple M0PSX

Always keen to promote Amateur Radio in Essex, Pete M0PSX from Essex Ham was given the opportunity to join presenter Scott Ross on Phoenix FM in Brentwood to discuss the hobby. During the interview Pete took the opportunity to briefly plug the amateur radio satellites.

The interview was broadcast from studios based at The Brentwood Centre at 2:30pm on Thursday July 12, 2012, as part of the Drivetime show.

Watch Amateur Radio Interview – Phoenix FM July 2012

Read the report by Pete Sipple M0PSX at
http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/essex-ham-interviewed-on-phoenix-fm.html

Phoenix FM report on interview http://www.phoenixfm.com/2012/07/12/a-three-day-week-drive/

Essex Ham report on ARISSAT-1 http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/time-running-out-to-hear-arissat-1.html

The Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society, mentioned in the interview, run training courses for the Amateur Radio exams, to find out more speak to Clive G1EUC on
Tel: 01245-224577
Mob: 07860-418835
E-mail: training2012<at>g0mwt.org.uk
Web: http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/training/

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

Phoenix FM http://www.PhoenixFM.com/

Jul 12 2012

Three Radio Hams Scheduled to Head to ISS This Weekend

Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI, Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP and Sunita Williams KD5PLB

ARRL report that NASA will televise the launch and docking of the next mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for 8:40 PM (CDT) Saturday, July 14 (0140 UT, Sunday, July 15).

NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, are completing preparations as they undergo their final Soyuz spacecraft fit. Live NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan begins at 8:30 PM CDT on Saturday, July 14 (0130 UT July 15).

The trio will arrive at the station on July 16, joining NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, KE5DAR, and two Russian cosmonauts: Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, RN3BS. Acaba, Padalka and Revin have been aboard the ISS since mid-May. Williams, Malenchenko and Hoshide — who also will be part of the Expedition 33 crew starting in September — will return to Earth in mid-November. Source ARRL

NASA TV’s scheduled coverage is available at,
http://www.arrl.org/news/three-hams-scheduled-to-head-to-iss-this-weekend

Soyuz FG Rocket with the Soyuz TMA-05M Spacecraft – Roscosmos

Jul 12 2012

AMSAT-UK Membership.

AMSAT-UK Membership.


There has never been a more exciting time for you to join one of the UK’s largest group of people who have an interest in Amateur radio satellites/space activities from all around the world.
AMSAT-UK has an ever growing membership base from shortwave listeners to satellite  engineers, amateur radio in space is becoming more affordable with the
concept of Cubesats.

The AMSAT-UK FUNcube  projects aims to be at the forefront with a launch of it’s very own educational Cubesat in 2012  http://funcube.org.uk/

AMSAT-UK is a voluntary organisation that was formed in 1975 and has provided invaluable assistance to the Amateur satellite programme and continues to be at the forefront of satellite research and design, benefits of membership include a full colour Oscar News magazine (Sample here) that is packed with articles and information relating to our ever growing hobby.
AMSAT-UK has a great Website with all the latest news and articles that are updated on a almost daily basis,there you will find information for the newcomer to the more advance
user,an online shop stocks items from the LVB satellite antenna tracker to booking a room for the forthcoming AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012 Fri 14 Sep to Sun 16 Sep
A regular net is also held on Sunday’s on 3.780 MHz +/- QRM, at 10 AM (local)  Membership is open to clubs, schools, companies, etc, and individuals from around the world.

Join AMSAT-UK today  HERE

AMSAT-UK Website- http://www.uk.amsat.org/

AMSAT-UK Membership-  http://tinyurl.com/3gg2tvc

FUNcube- http://funcube.org.uk/

Twitter   @AMSATUK

Jul 12 2012

Middlesex Radio Hams success in UAV competition

HALO UAV in flightStudents from Middlesex University Robotics department obtained their Foundation Licences after a Verulam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) course and went on to win UAVforge.

The amateur radio Foundation training course was part of the preparations by members of the HALO team to take part in the international UAVForge competition in the USA.

This is an international drone competition and involved the team taking on some of the world’s top engineers and universities. They succeeded in becoming the highest scoring team at UAVforge.

The HALO team comprised:
Witold Mielniczek M6HUJ
Mantas Brazinskas M6LTU
Mehmet Ali Erbil M6DUC
Dr Stephen Prior M6ESY

Their HALO Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used a Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) system with a 900 MHz data downlink and a 5.8 GHz video downlink along with a 1280 MHz video feed.

Watch DARPA UAVforge Milestone 3 Live Fly Video – Team HALO HD

This video was shot from HALO and relayed over 3.2 km via a 1280 MHz live video feed using a 2.5 W Video TX with a Yagi antenna positioned 30 m up a tree.

Watch UAVforge 2012 Team HALO Attempt 2

Further information including a photo of some of the Middlesex University radio amateurs can be seen at http://www.mdx.ac.uk/aboutus/news-events/news/uavforge-final.aspx

Team HALO Win UAVForge Competition 2012 http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/robotics/uncategorized/
team-halo-win-uavforge-competition/

A 2009 paper on Development of a Co-Axial Tri-Rotor UAV http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/2873/1/Prior_-Development_of_a_Co-Axial
_Tri-Rotor_UAV_-_Middlesex_University_%28compressed%29.pdf

UAVforge http://www.uavforge.net/uavhtml/index.php

Verulam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) http://www.radioclubs.net/verulam/

10 year old Foundation licence holder interviewed on TV about his amateur radio DIY space projects http://www.amsat-uk.org/?p=8821/

Jul 11 2012

F-1 CubeSat on TV

The Vietnamese TV station VTV1 broadcast a news story about the amateur radio CubeSat F-1, callsign XV1VN, due to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 21.

The broadcast shows students from the FPT University in Hanoi who are involved in the project and has an interview with Thu Trong Vu XV9AA.

F-1 carries a low-resolution camera (640×480), a 3-axis magnetometer and two Yaesu VX-3R transceivers using 145.980 and 437.485 MHz.

It is planned to launch to the ISS on July 21 in the HTV-3 cargo vessel and be deployed in September by Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI using the ISS Kibo robot arm.

 

Watch CubeSat F-1 on VTV1

For the latest news on F-1 see the FSpace website http://fspace.edu.vn/

Video depicting F-1 CubeSat XV1VN deployment from the ISS http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=8446

Vietnam Student CubeSat F-1 http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=5025

Jul 11 2012

Official Opening of the RSGB National Radio Centre

Official Opening of National Radio CentreWednesday, July 11, saw the official opening of the RSGB’s National Radio Centre (NRC) at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes.

Ed Vaizey MP Unveiling the Plaque with RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW

Ed Vaizey MP Unveiling the Plaque with RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW

The opening and unveiling of the plaque was undertaken by Mr Ed Vaizey MP. Mr Vaizey is the Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries and, as such, has overall responsibility for OFCOM. He stated that he fully supported the aim of the Centre in being able to enthuse and inspire children to become the engineers of the future.

Attendees included many of the sponsors together with Iain Standen, the Chief Executive of the Bletchley Park Trust plus, from overseas,  Dave Sumner K1ZZ, CEO of the ARRL and Ole Garpestad, LA2RR  IARU Vice-President.

Ed Vaizey MP and RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW

Ed Vaizey MP and RSGB President Dave Wilson M0OBW

AMSAT-UK have supported the creation of this valuable educational outreach resource at Bletchley Park and have arranged for the provision and installation of a set of fully steerable VHF and UHF satellite antenna arrays. It is hoped that it may be possible to use the NRC as the FUNcube-1 Mission Control Centre during the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) of the mission later this year.

National Radio Centre http://www.nationalradiocentre.com/

AMSAT-UK at NRC for World Amateur Radio Day https://amsat-uk.org/2012/04/19/amsat-uk-on-satellites-for-world-amateur-radio-day/

Sponsor Plaques Fitted at National Radio Centre https://amsat-uk.org/2012/04/21/sponsor-plaques-fitted-at-national-radio-centre/

Minister opens National Radio Centre http://www.rsgb.org/news/articlelinks.php?id=0377

National Radio Centre – A First Look http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/national-radio-centre-a-first-look.html

Howard Long G6LVB and Carlos Eavis G0AKI

Howard Long G6LVB and Carlos Eavis G0AKI