Tag Archives: Amateur Radio

Jun 7 2013

AMSAT-UK Introduce Electronic (PDF) Membership

AMSAT-UK_Bevelled_LogoAMSAT-UK is pleased to announce that we can now offer Electronic E-membership at a reduced rate.

Founded in 1975 AMSAT-UK is a voluntary organisation that supports the design and building of equipment for Amateur Radio Satellites.

AMSAT-UK initially produced a short bulletin called OSCAR News to give members advice on amateur satellite communications. Since those early days OSCAR News has grown in size and the print quality has improved beyond recognition. Today, OSCAR News is produced as a high-quality quarterly colour A4 magazine consisting of up to 40 pages of news, information and comment about amateur radio space communications.

The new E-membership will provide OSCAR News as a downloadable PDF file and members will have the freedom to read it on their Tablets or Smartphones anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

An additional advantage is that the PDF should be available for download up to 2 weeks before the paper copy is posted.

E-membership should be especially beneficial to Overseas members who have suffered from high postal charges and long delivery times.

The AMSAT-UK membership year runs from January 1 to December 31. Why not take the opportunity to renew your 2013 membership as an E-member.

Renew your AMSAT-UK membership as an E-member here http://shop.amsat.org.uk/shop/category_8/Existing-Members-Renewal.html

Join as a new E-member here http://shop.amsat.org.uk/shop/category_9/Join-Amsat-UK.html

E-members can download their copies of OSCAR News from http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/on

Jun 6 2013

50 years of Women in Space

Astronuat Sally Ride - Image Credit NASA

Astronuat Sally Ride – Image Credit NASA

Fifty years ago, on June 16, 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, a flight undertaken for the propaganda purpose of illustrating the equality of women in the USSR.

Valentina Tereshkova First Woman in Space - Image Credit RSC Energia

Valentina Tereshkova First Woman in Space – Image Credit RSC Energia

Due to the political and social attitudes of the time, it would be another 20 years before the first US female astronaut, Dr. Sally Ride, would fly on the Space Shuttle. Unlike Tereshkova’s one off-flight, though, Dr Ride was the vanguard of a wave of female astronauts, not only from the United States, who would participate in space activities on the same footing as their male colleagues-as Mission Specialists, Pilots, Shuttle Commanders and Commanders of the International Space Station.

On Sunday June 16, 2.00pm – 3.00pm, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman, Kerrie Dougherty, the Powerhouse museum’s Curator of Space Technology, will present an overview of the history of women in space, from the selection of Valentina Tereshkova and the first group of Soviet female cosmonauts to the participation of women as astronauts in space programs around the world today.

The presentation is free with Museum entry. Members no need to book, but should RSVP to play@phm.gov.au

Further information at http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/talks/space.php

BBC Radio 4 will broadcast ‘The First Woman in Space’ on Saturday, June 8 at 10:30 BST. Listen on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b026x9mr

First UK astronaut Helen Sharman GB1MIR
https://amsat-uk.org/about/history/first-uk-astronaut-helen-sharman-gb1mir/

Gathering of Female Astronauts and Former Johnson Space Center Director
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/03/12/gathering-of-female-astronauts-and-former-johnson-space-center-director/

SpaceKate: The time we took on Unilever – and won!
http://spacekate.com/2013/the-time-we-took-on-unliever-and-won/

After her return to Earth the first UK astronaut Helen Sharman visited the Harrogate Ladies' College club station G0HCA From left to right are Anna-Karin G7IRR, Helen Sharman GB1MIR, Richard Horton G3XWH and Katy G7NST

After her return to Earth the first UK astronaut Helen Sharman visited
the Harrogate Ladies’ College club station G0HCA
From left to right Anna-Karin G7IRR, Helen Sharman GB1MIR, Richard Horton G3XWH, Katy G7NST

Jun 5 2013

Kickstarter project aims to put a TARDIS into Low-Earth-Orbit

Kickstarter Dr Who TardisNovember 23, 2013 is the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and a Kickstarter project aims to celebrate the event by putting a 30 cm (12 inch) tall model of the TARDIS into Low-Earth-Orbit on an Interorbital Systems Neptune rocket. The aim is to raise the $33,000 needed for the flight by June 29.

A number of satellite projects have already raised funds through Kickstarter but none has been quite like this. The orbiting TARDIS plans to have solar cells to power the flashing light, a camera and transmitter. A magnetic, passive attitude control system will keep the TARDIS’s camera pointing toward the Earth.

Further information is available on Kickstarter at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/573935592/were-putting-a-tardis-into-orbit-really

These satellite projects have already raised money on Kickstarter:

Radio ham Zac Manchester KD2BHC used Kickstarter to raise $74,586 in donations to fund the development and deployment of 200 amateur radio KickSat sprite satellites.

The amateur radio satellite project ArduSat managed to raise donations of $106,330 in just 30 days.

SkyCube which will transmit on 915 MHz in the 902-928 MHz amateur radio band raised $116,890.

Kickstarter is not just about raising large sums of money, for example Sandy Antunes used Kickstarter to raise $2,780 to buy a ham radio transceiver and antennas to create an amateur radio satellite ground station Calliope

Wiki – Doctor Who https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

Jun 4 2013

IARU Coordinates Frequencies for Fox-1A Ham Radio CubeSat

AMSAT FOXThe International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Frequency Coordination Panel has announced coordinated frequencies for the AMSAT-NA Fox-1a CubeSat.

A 1U CubeSat, Fox-1a will serve as a communications relay for radio amateurs worldwide via the onboard FM repeater system. It will also carry an experiment consisting of a 3-axis MEMs gyro developed by Penn State University. The communications and experiment missions will run concurrently.

The uplink will be on 435.180 MHz for FM voice and the downlink on 145.980 MHz with FM voice and an optional sub audible FSK digital carrier channel. Fox-1a will employ passive magnetic stabilization.

Fox-1a is planning to launch from Vandenburg in November 2014 on the NASA ELaNa XII mission with ARC1, BisonSat, Lightsail and R2S (NEO). The expected orbit is 470 x 780 km at 64 degrees inclination giving an orbit lifetime of about 11 years.

For more information see http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2012/2012_Symposium_Fox_Overview.pdf

IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Status pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru

Jun 3 2013

AMSAT Field Day 2013

Saudisat SO-50

Saudisat SO-50

The AMSAT-NA site reports on satellite activity for this years ARRL Field Day which takes place June 22-23.

Every year AMSAT promotes a satellite version of Field Day during the ARRL annual operating event which is held on the 4th weekend in June. This year Field Day will take place from 1800 UTC on Saturday June 22, 2013 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 23, 2013.

SaudiSat-Oscar-50 will be the only operational FM transponder satellite this year. If you are considering only FM voice operating for your AMSAT Field Day focus the single uplink/downlink channel will be extremely challenging. As in prior years, this intense congestion on FM LEO satellites drives the limitation in the rules allowing their use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. This includes the International Space Station. You will be allowed one QSO if the ISS is operating Voice. You will also be allowed one digital QSO with the ISS or any other digital, non-store-and-forward, packet satellite (if operational).

If you have worked the satellites on Field Day in recent years, you may have noticed a lot of good contacts can be made on the linear transponder satellites including VO-52, FO-29, and AO-7. During Field Day the transponders come alive like 20 meters on a weekend. The transponders on these satellites will support multiple simultaneous SSB or CW contacts.

The AMSAT Field Day 2013 event is open to all Amateur Radio operators. Amateurs are to use the exchange as specified in ARRL rules for Field Day. The AMSAT competition is to encourage the use of all amateur satellites, both analog and digital.

For the complete listing of the AMSAT Field Day Rules please refer to the documents posted on-line at:

http://www.amsatnet.com/2013fd.docx
http://www.amsatnet.com/2013fd.pdf

[We thank AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above information]

Source: AMSAT-NA K9JKM

Jun 3 2013

UK’s SpaceKate Wins ‘Most Inspiring App’ – International Space Apps Challenge

SpaceKate T-10 AppThe App produced by broadcast journalist Kate Arkless Gray a.k.a. SpaceKate has won the Most Inspiring App category of the International Space Apps Challange.

Radio amateur and former ISS Commander and Chris Hadfield VA3OOG said about the App “Cool idea! A 10-minute alarm would be perfect”.

The app was initially produced over a busy weekend at Space Apps London and consequently won a place in the international judging. The small team, which consists of Kate Arkless Gray, João Neves, Ketan Majmudar and Dario Lofish have continued to develop the app and provisionally hope to launch it in July. Getting the app into the hands of the astronauts may take a little more time, but that is the aim.

Read more about SpaceKate’s T-10 App
http://spacekate.com/2013/t-10-wins-most-inspiring-app-international-space-apps-challenge/

SpaceKate on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpaceKate

SpaceKate on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceKate/116068865117993

SpaceKate: The time we took on Unilever – and won!
http://spacekate.com/2013/the-time-we-took-on-unliever-and-won/

International Space Apps Challange http://spaceappschallenge.org/