AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-298

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: * New AO-51 Whole Orbit Data decoder released * SumbandilaSat Designated as SO-67 * New items for sale at the AMSAT online store * New EMI Calculator Available From Australian ACMA * Satellite Shorts From All Over * Iran May Put Satellite in the Ham Satellite Bands * ARISS Status - 19 October 2009

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 01 New AO-51 Whole Orbit Data decoder released

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 01

Thanks to our resident telemery guru Mike Rupprecht DK3WN a new AO-51 whole orbit data (WOD) telemetry decoder has been released! The file with decoder and coefficients file can be downloaded from here:

http://www dk3wn info/files/ao51wod zip

The AO-51 telemetry archive is on the AMSAT FTP server DK3WN's new decoder is for processing "raw" WOD telemetry files For example, the WOD data collected for October 2009 is here:

ftp://ftp amsat org/pub/amsat/telemetry/ao51/2009WOD/Oct2009/raw1009/

The decoder generates a CSV (comma separated) file that can be opened in Excel, etc A nice feature is that the telemetry program actually graphs the data, too!

THANKS, Mike DK3WN!

[ANS thanks Mark, N8MH, for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 02 SumbandilaSat Designated as SO-67

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 02

AMSAT's OSCAR Number Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO announced he has received an e-mail sent to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors by Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, Secretary SA AMSAT requesting that an OSCAR number be allocated to SumbandilaSat

In the e-mail Hans states that the amateur radio transponder on SumbandilaSat was successfully switched on from the ground by ZS6BPZ during the test phase on Sunday 18 October 2009 and that several QSOs were made through the transponder

The amateur radio payload on SumbandilaSat was developed by SA AMSAT and incorporated by the University of Stellenbosch into the main pay- load The SA AMSAT payload was officially coordinated through the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel with an uplink of 145 880 and downlink of 435 350 MHz

Bill replied, "Therefore, by the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA President, I hereby designate this latest amateur radio satellite as SumbandilaSat Oscar 67 or SO-67 On behalf of AMSAT-NA and the world's amateur radio satellite community I congratulate those responsible for building, testing and launching this new satellite May it have a long and successful life "

You can hear more of these initial and QSO's through this new South African ham radio satellite at: http://previews matogen com/sunspace/assets/galleries/sounds/Sumbandila- FirstActivePass-Recording-2009-10-18 mp3

[ANS thanks Bill Tynan, W3XO and SA AMSAT for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 03 New items for sale at the AMSAT online store

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 03

Did you miss the symposium? Now available at the AMSAT online store -- a 40th Anniversary Tote as well as the Proceedings of the Symposium Get yours while supplies last

[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 04 New EMI Calculator Available From Australian ACMA

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 04

Australia's Swinburne University, together with EM Software and Systems, has developed an online tool that will allow users to calculate exclusion zones around antennas where radiation levels exceed safety standard limits

Commissioned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the exclusion zone calculator will allow people to conduct safety assessments of transmitting antennas, such as those found on boats, four wheel drives, at fixed station locations and even communication networks operating in the VHF and UHF spectrum This includes ham bands from 2 meters on up through 2 4 GHz

To calculate the zone, all users need to do is enter the antenna type, transmitter power, antenna gain and frequency band into the online tool Click your mouse and the program will automatically calculate the safe distance around the antenna in metric distance

The ACMA has also produced a booklet entitled Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation Information for Licensees of Radio-Communications Transmitters Both the on-line tool and a booklet that explains EME health exposure can be found at: http://www acma gov au (ACMA)

[ANS thanks ACMA and Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1679 for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 05 Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 05

• The AMSAT Symposium was held over the October 9 - 11 weekend in Baltimore, Maryland AMSAT President Barry Baines' presentation has been posted to the AMSAT Web site A video of symposium high lights was put together and has been posted on YouTube See: http://www youtube com/watch?v=1efXlL75dvA

• Drew, KO4MA says the QSL cards for the July Apollo anniversary event on AO-51 have arrived and he is starting on the stack this weekend He is pretty sure they should all be in the mail by next week and thanks all for the interest and support

• For those going to the Ft Wayne, Ind Hamfest, Nov 14-15, there will be an AMSAT Forum on Sat the 14th at 1:15pm There is also an APRS forum on Sun 15 Nov at 10 am More info can be found at: http://www fortwaynehamfest com

• Page 43 of the October issue of SatMagazine features an article on CubeSats titled 'A Costing + Pricing Challenge', see: http://www satmagazine com/2009/SatMag_Oct09 pdf

• USA Today has a flash graphic showing the step-by-step construction of the International Space Station: http://i usatoday net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash htm

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 06 Iran May Put Satellite in the Ham Satellite Bands

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 06

The SouthGate Amateur Radio News Site and Amateur Radio Newsline reported this week there is a possibility that Iran's Mesbah-2 satellite, slated for launch early 2010, could operate on frequencies allocated to the Amateur Satellite Service

An on-line report at astronautix com says that the original Mesbah satellite, lost in a 2005 launch failure, was to have operated on Amateur Satellite Service frequencies Now its being reported that Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Reza Taqipour, has said that the replacement Mesbah satellite has success- fully completed pre-launch tests and is now ready for liftoff early next year

Most observers think that there will be little difference between the transponder set-up between the lost Mesbah satellite on the new replacement bird See: http://www astronautix com/craft/mesbah2 htm

[ANS thanks SouthGate and Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1680 for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-298 07 ARISS Status - 19 October 2009

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 298 07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 25, 2009 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-298 07

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday, October 27 at 09:33 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia The centre organized a student competition for naming asteroids, using rules of the science naming process In October the winners travel to Warsaw for the competition finale and will take part in the ARISS event

Sherbrooke Community School in Sassafras, Victoria, Australia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, October 28 at 07:13 UTC This will be a telebridge contact via station W6SRJ in California Sherbrooke Community School fosters student participation and the advancement of amateur radio in the community It operates Sherbrooke Community Club station, VK3KID The school has invited representatives from neighboring schools to pose questions to the astronauts and asked its sister schools in China and Bhutan to also submit questions for students to ask the ISS crew

David Thompson Middle School (DTMS) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 30 at 21:12 UTC via station LU8YY in Argentina DTMS and the University of Calgary’s science department have collaborated on this event

1. ARISS Contact Between Thirsk and Boundary Beach Students

On Tuesday, October 13, students from Boundary Beach Elementary School in Delta, British Columbia, Canada spoke with astronaut Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA on the ISS via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact Seventeen questions were answered, including one from the radio team The contact was made possible through the Langley Amateur Radio Association To prepare for the contact, students got involved in many space related activities and participated in Dr Thirsk’s “Get Fit for Space” program

1. Glenmore Christian Academy Experiences ARISS Contact

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact occurred on Wednesday, October 14 between Glenmore Christian Academy students in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA Nearly six hundred students, teachers, parents and guests gathered to watch the youth ask 20 questions of the astronaut CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and CTV (Canadian television) covered the event

1. ARISS Contact with UNICEF – Mali

Children in Gao, Mali participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 15 via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland The contact was held as part of the UNICEF WaSH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) campaign Astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN, a UNICEF Belgium goodwill ambassador, spoke to the children, answering 5 questions

1. ARISS - JOTA Contact Unsuccessful

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was scheduled for Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), Boy Scouts of America Headquarters in Irving, Texas on Saturday, October 17 Due to technical difficulties, the contact did not take place Contact demonstrations on other satellites were given during the day, however, and there was an amateur radio balloon flight as well Scouts also took part in a Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI) activity Approximately 400 Scouts, parents and officials attended the event

1. NASA Reports on ARISS Contact

NASA posted as one of its “Daily Top Stories” an article from the Vancouver Sun about the October 9 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Belmont Elementary School:

Hundreds Of Students "Enthralled" Talking To ISS Astronaut The Vancouver Sun (10/10, 178K) reported, "Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk zipped through the heavens above Langley's Ecole Belmont elementary school Friday, riding the International Space Station and chatting with 533 enthralled students " The event was organized by "ARISS (Amateur Radio International Space Station), a NASA- sponsored educational outreach program " According to the article, "Judging by the reaction of the children sitting cross-legged in the gym, the program was an obvious hit "

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

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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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