Jun 7 2014

Influence of ham radio on astronaut

Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO

In this video ISS Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO talks about how his grandfather, a radio ham, helped him bounce a signal off the moon (EME) when he was six and the influence amateur radio had on his career.

Watch Alexander Gerst KF5ONO Crew Profile

Apr 28 2014

Ham Radio Earth-Moon-Earth Art Event on Google+ Hangout

PI9CAM Dwingeloo 25 meter dish antenna

OPTICKS is a live radio transmission performance between the Earth and the Moon during which images are sent to the Moon and back as radio signals using the MMSSTV Slow San TV software developed by Makoto Mori JE3HHT. A live Google+ hangout is taking place on May 1 at 2000 UT. A Reddit AMA will precede the Hangout at 1500 UT.

The project has been realized by visual artist Daniela de Paulis (IT/NL) in collaboration with Jan van Muijlwijk PA3FXB and the CAMRAS radio amateurs association based at Dwingeloo radio telescope (NL). Each live performance is made possible thanks to the collaboration of radio amateurs Howard Ling G4CCH (UK), Bruce Halász PY2BS (Brazil) and Daniel Gautschi HB9CRQ (CH).

The live hangout will feature a “touch” and bounce of Humans in Space Youth Art Competition artwork off the Moon using OPTICKS radio wave technology. Guests and remote participants will discuss the significance of the artwork and the performance and explore the impact of past, present, and future human presence on the Moon.

Guests
– Andrew Chaikin is the author of Man on the Moon and From Earth to the Moon.
– Wendell Mendell is a retired NASA lunar and planetary exploration scientist.
– Sarah Nobel is a current NASA lunar scientist and artist.
– Frank Shiner is a winner of both the 2010 and 2012 Humans in Space Youth Art Competitions.
– Jan van Muijlwijk PA3FXB, OPTICKS collaborator, radio operator, CAMRAS/Dwingeloo radio telescope.
– Daniela De Paulis is the visual artist and researcher who developed the OPTICKS live performance technology in collaboration with the Dwingeloo radio telescope.
– Jancy McPhee is the director of the Humans in Space Art Program, which includes the Youth Art Competition Project in its portfolio.

Learn more at http://www.Opticks.info and http://www.HumansInSpaceArt.org

OPTICKS makes use of a technology used by radio amateurs called Earth-Moon-Earth or Moonbounce in which the Moon is used as a natural reflector for radio signals.

In October 2009 Daniela de Paulis and Jan van Muijlwijk PA3FXB started pioneering a new application of Moonbounce technology, called Visual Moonbounce, which allows sending images to the Moon and back, combining Radio Astronomy with amateur radio technologies.

The title OPTICKS is inspired by Newton’s discoveries of the light spectrum, reflection and refraction. Similarly, the colours composing an image – converted into radio signals – are bounced off the Moon (reflected and refracted) by its surface during each live performance.

The performance is introduced by live sounds of amateurs radio signals captured by the Dwingeloo antenna tracking the moon.

Watch a recording of the performance for the radio programme RaiTunes:

You can support the project by purchasing a limited edition t-shirt from this link: https://fabrily.com/EarthAndMoon2

Google+ Hangout GAM AstroArt: Touching the Moon with Art & Footsteps https://plus.google.com/events/ckm4364t5f7fcg0m42rgb7br2lc

Daniela de Paulis http://www.danieladepaulis.com/

Story source: http://www.opticks.info/

Sep 10 2012

Microwave Spectrum Issues at EME 2012

This video was made by volunteers from the British Amateur TV Club (BATC) at the EME 2012 conference in Cambridge. In the presentation Murray Niman G6JYB, and Gudmund Wannberg SM2BYA, review world wide spectrum issues and in particular the loss of part of the 2300 MHz band in Sweden.

The spectrum issues faced by moon-bounce (EME) operators are similar to those affecting the Amateur-satellite Service.

Continue reading →

Apr 5 2012

A Special EME Operation from QM06 Japan

A Japan-Broadcasting Corporation TV report from 2007 featuring Mike Watanabe JH1KRC has just been made available on YouTube.

The YouTube description reads:

KDDI, one of the Japanese telecommunication services companies, has assigned to make experimental cooperation with the Project BIG-DISH, composed of some forty Japanese moon bouncers, and JARL.

We will use the antenna IBA-4, which is the 4th antenna of Ibaraki Satellite Communications Center, KDDI Corporation, for the experimental moon bounce operation on 144, 432, 1296 and possibly 5760 MHz bands. IBA-4 is a 32-metre Cassegrain dish made by Mitshubishi Electric Corporation in 1980’s, and is located in the grid QM06.

The IBA-4 is fully rotable and the elevation is possible up to 90 degrees for automatic moon tracking. The largest problem we have is that we cannot remove the subreflector, 2.9-m in diameter, about 9 metres in front of the main reflector. Therefore we have to use this subreflector in some way for the EME operation.

Our EME operation license is still waiting for the four bands, 144, 432, 1296, and 5760 MHz. The 5760 MHz high power moon bounce transmission is still in discussion in the ministry. Other bands are sure to be licensed for the operation with 500 watts output. We will use callsign 8N1EME. The intensive operating modes are CW, SSB, and JT65 specially on 144 and possiby on 432 also. Fundamentally, we think that random QSOs are most important, although, some scheduled QSOs may be considered for any special reason. Antennas in use will be vertilac pol. on 144 and 432 MHz, the usual EME circular pol. on 1296, and 5760 MHz.

The operation took place late February and early March, in 2007.

Watch 8N1EME-NHK-NEWS(NHK(Japan-Broadcasting Corp.))