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]
Oct 30 2011

RSGB-Shuttle SSTV Contact on TV News

A vintage TV news report first broadcast Aug 4, 1985 shows a contact between RSGB HQ in Potters Bar and Astronaut Tony England W0ORE in the Challenger shuttle on mission STS 51-F.

Tony W0ORE was running a Motorola model MX-340 handheld 2-meter transceiver and a Robot Research model 1200C slow-scan television scan converter with an antenna fitted on the inside of one of Challengers windows.

RSGB General Manager David Evans G3OUF was among those at the Society’s station GB3RS.

It is believed the voice contact was carried out on 145.550 MHz FM and the RSGB HQ team acheived a first with a two-way exchange of Slow Scan TV (SSTV) pictures.

Watch the ITN TV news report ‘Space Radio Hams’ at
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1985/08/04/AS040885006/

Oct 30 2011

OSCAR-9 and OSCAR-11 TV News Reports

The original TV news reports about the United Kingdom’s first Amateur Radio satellites, UOSAT-1 (OSCAR-9) and UOSAT-2 (OSCAR-11), can now be seen on the web.

In ‘Talking Satellite’, made February 15, 1983, Martin Sweeting G3YJO talks about OSCAR-9 and its speech synthesizer.
The ITN description reads: “The World’s first talking satellite begins to speak. It was launched 18 months ago in America for the University of Surrey and one of its purposes is to encourage interest among school children in space technology.”
Watch it at http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1983/02/15/AS150283008/

In ‘British Satellite’, made February 7, 1984, Martin Sweeting G3YJO talks about OSCAR-11 due to be launched the following month.
The ITN description reads: “Staff at the University of Surrey have designed and built a spacecraft in 5 months after being challenged by NASA.  Intvw Dr Martin Sweeting, University of Surrey.”
Watch it at http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1984/02/07/AS070284011/

30th anniversary of UoSAT-1 (OSCAR-9)
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/10/12/30th-anniversary-of-uosat-1-oscar-9/

UoSAT-2 (OSCAR-11) Report September 1, 2011
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/september2011/oscar11_report.htm

OSCAR News is published quarterly by AMSAT-UK and posted to members.
To get your copy join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/
Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf