AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-048

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation ANS reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat org

In this edition: * AMSAT Lab Status and Volunteer Opportunities * AMSAT Engineering Meeting in Orlando * Abstract Deadline Extended for the 2008 Cubesat Workshop * Houston AMSAT Net Changes * ARISS Status - 11 February 2008

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-048 01 AMSAT Lab Status and Volunteer Opportunities

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 048 01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD February 17, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-048 01

Bob Davis, KF4FKSS, AMSAT Lab Manager reports that appears we're within about 3 work days of completing the cleanroom at the AMSAT lab in Pocomoke, MD! This is good news for those of us that have spent a year cleaning, scraping, painting, etc

While Bob was in Orlando supporting Hamcation, where AMSAT had a booth, presentation, Board of Directors meeting and engineering meetings, J C , Ray, Steve & Martin worked on the cleanroom It is really starting to look complete now

Here is the Lab schedule for the next couple of weeks: Mon Feb 18 - Open 9-5 (this is President's Day) Sat Feb 23 - Open 9-5

It is hoped that these dates will conclude the cleanroom effort (which is dependent on us volunteers!) Then, work on the Eagle Engineering Unit will begin This is a flight-like structure that will be used to verify some things before we are messing with the expensive (and schedule driven) flight unit It will be taken (incomplete) to the Dayton Hamfest in May We also have a couple antennas we want to raise

All volunteers are welcome! RSVP would be nice, but not required

For directions, map to this intersection: Broad St & Pocomoke Belt Pocomoke City, MD 21851

If you have any questions, email Bob at KF4KSS@amsat org

[ANS thanks Bob, KF4KSS, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-048 02 AMSAT Engineering Meeting in Orlando

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 048 02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD February 17, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-048 02

Bob McGwier, N4HY, AMSAT VP of Engineeing called an engineering meeting for the weekend of 8-11 Feb in Orlando, FL This meeting was to define the engineering projects, leaders and deliverables for 2008 The meeting was well attended and many tough issues were discussed Plans to fast track some of the projects to meet Dayton, SuitSat-2, Atlanta Symposium and the balloon and cubesat launches with HAWK and HISS were made This was a very productive meeting and details will follow in the AMSAT Journal Bob also described the 2008 engineering tasks in a video that will soon appear on the AMSAT web site at http://www amsat org/amsat-new/information/videoNews php

The meeting also coincided with the Orlando Hamcation, were Rick Hambly,W2GPS; Bob McGwier, N4HY; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA; Bob Davis, KF4KSS and Lou McFadin, W5DID discussed the activities in a 90 minute forum Dave Jordan, AA4KN and Robert Davies, KI4HXT hosted the AMSAT booth and did satellite demonstrations The AMSAT booth was well attended and very productive Most of the AMSAT officers and board members were available at the booth on Saturday to talk with members and to answer questions

Videos are also being prepared of the Orlando forum talks and satellite demonstrations

[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-048 03 Abstract Deadline Extended for the 2008 Cubesat Workshop

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 048 03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD February 17, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-048 03

The deadline for abstract submission for the 2008 CubeSat Workshop has been extended Please submit your abstract by Friday March 7th at www cubesat org The workshop sessions are listed below and we encourage you to focus your abstract on one of these topics:

1) New CubeSat Developers 2) Novel Avionics 3) Nanosats 4) Access to Space 5) Ground Station Operations 6) Unique Missions

Don't forget, workshop registrations is available online and spaces are filling up quickly for the workshop April 9th-11th at Cal Poly! Please contact cubesat-workshop@atl calpoly edu with any questions or concerns regarding registration or abstract submittal

[ANS thanks Alex Chin and Marissa Brummitt for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-048 04 Houston AMSAT Net Changes

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 048 04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD February 17, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-048 04

The Houston AMSAT Net has once again gone through some morphing After being on the W0KIE Satellite Radio Network from our 121st net using SBS-6 on June 18, 1996 we had to move The W0KIE Satellite Radio Network was a wonderful long term spot for us Our 726th net on February 5, 2008 began on our new home, Galaxy-25 and the SkyScanner Satellite Radio Network (SSRN)

If you would like to hear us on K-band satellite, you can set your dish and receiver as follows:

The Houston AMSAT Net is on the SkyScanner Satellite Radio Network on Galaxy-25 @97° West, Transponder 23 (12115 Vert), Symbol Rate: 22425, APID: 1794 (DVB Free To Air)

Our internet audio can now be heard at:

• RFD1 16k (dialup speed) at http://www cband info/rfd1 m3u
• RFD2 (broadband speed) at http://www cband info/rfd2 m3u
• AMSAT conference on Echolink

If you would like to join us on the IRC either during the net or at any other time

The IRC is: irc dishnuts net Then join the channel #amsat

[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-048 05 ARISS Status - 11 February 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 048 05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD February 17, 2008 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-048 05

1. Upcoming School Contact

Robespierre Elementary School in Rueil Malmaison, France has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, February 21 at 14:21 UTC Two hundred fifty-six students in grades 1-5 are enrolled at the school ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts, FX0STD/KE5FNO, plans to participate in this contact

1. Astronaut Training Status

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team coordinated two amateur radio school contact simulations between students at Bay Area Charter Elementary in the Houston area and astronauts Mike Fincke, KE5AIT and Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA at JSC The two sessions took place on Friday, February 8 via the JSC W5RRR repeater These two contacts were retransmitted on the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) They were also fed into the Echolink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers and received 8 connections, including 2 link nodes and one repeater node from the U S , Japan, and the Ukraine

1. ARRL Articles on Simulated ARISS Contacts

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a Web story on the simulated ARISS contacts that took place between astronauts Mike Finke and Koichi Wakata at JSC and Bay Area Charter Elementary in the Houston area See: http://www arrl org/news/stories/2008/02/05/100/?nc=1

The activity was also published in the ARRL Letter See: http://www arrl org/arrlletter/08/0208/

1. Columbus Module Launched

Atlantis launched on Thursday, February 7 carrying ESA’s Columbus module with new Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) antennas ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer sent congratulations to the European team for a job well done See: http://www amsat org/amsat/archive/sarex/10day/msg01509 html

1. Shukor Debrief Scheduled

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) crew debrief has been scheduled with Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 9W2MUS, on Tuesday, February 26 Shukor, the first Malaysian space visitor, participated in 5 ARISS contacts with students in Malaysia while onboard the ISS

1. Amateur Radio Newsline Article

On February 8, the Amateur Radio Newsline ran a story on Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank Bauer’s promotion at NASA To view this item, go to: http://www arnewsline org/index php?option=content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/EX

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office

73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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