AMSAT NEWS SERVICE<br />ANS-075<br /><br />ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America,<br />The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a<br />worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in<br />designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital<br />Amateur Radio satellites.<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-075.01<br />AO-40 Update<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 075.01 From AMSAT HQ<br />Silver Spring, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All Radio Amateurs<br />BID: $ANS-075.01<br /><br />AO-40 nominal ALON/ALAT is now 20 / 0.<br />ALON/ALAT will be slowly moved to 30/0 in the next week.<br /><br />Given the worsening squints as we move ALON/ALAT, we have terminated the<br />K-Tx sessions until early summer when conditions improve.<br /><br />Because of the poor squint angles early in the orbit the passband window<br />now starts at MA =80. It still ends at MA = 230 to allow time for battery<br />charging before perigee eclipse.<br /><br />The complete schedule is shown in the table below:<br /><br />N QST AMSAT AO-40 SCHEDULE 2003-03-15<br /> MA 010 080 230 244 010<br /> ---------7-----1-----5-----0-----7<br /> S2/K-Tx | S | S | S | S |<br /> MB | * | * | * | * |<br /> RUDAK | | | | |<br /> V/U-Rx | U | U | U | V |<br /> Uplink | | UL | | |<br /><br /><br />The command team also reminds all Users to maintain a clear area 25 kHz<br />above and below the Middle Beacon.<br /><br />S-band -> K Tx test conducted on Saturday, 15 March 2003, was a success.<br />Report to follow from participants.<br /><br />CORRECTION:<br />Several weeks ago, during the testing of the S1 receiver, It was indicated<br />that the S2 receiver was connected to the 5-turn helix. This is not<br />correct. Both S-band receivers are connected to the dish antenna. Only the<br />S2 transmitter is connected to the 5-turn helix.<br /><br />[ANS thanks Stacey, W4SM and Colin, VK5HI, for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-75.02<br />AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2003<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 75.02 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-75.02<br /><br />The Amsat-UK Committee (aka BoD) met on 15 February and finalized<br />arrangements for this year's event. Our 18th Colloquium will be held at<br />Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, U.K., from Friday 25 July to<br />Sunday, 27 July 2003.<br /><br />This year, because speakers are sometimes hard to find, we have relaxed the<br />requirement for a printed paper to accompany the talk; it is not mandatory.<br /><br />Other differences this year are:<br /><br />o Talks will start after lunch on Friday but other facilities/tours will be<br /> available all day.<br /><br />o We will run the Beginners' session both on Friday AND Saturday<br />(afternoons).<br /><br />o The "Bring & Buy" and after-dinner speaking will be repeated, there will<br /> be no "junk sale".<br /><br />Contacts:<br />Speakers - G3RWL<br />Publicity - G3VZV<br />Proceedings - G4DPZ<br />Everything else - G3WGM<br /><br />Colloquium information is on the Amsat-UK web pages at:<br /><http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium.htm><br /><br />73<br />Richard G3RWL<br />Colloquium Programme organizer<br /><br />[ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL, for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-75.03<br />Call for speakers - Amsat-UK Colloquium 2003<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 75.03 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-75.03<br /><br />This is the first call for speakers for the 18th Amsat-UK Colloquium which<br />will be held at Surrey University, Guildford, Surrey, U.K., from Friday<br />25 July to Sunday 27 July 2003.<br /><br />Amsat-UK invite speakers, about amateur radio space and associated<br />activities, for this event. They are also invited to submit papers for the<br />"Proceedings" document which will be published at the same time but printed<br />papers are not mandatory. We normally prefer authors to present talks<br />themselves rather than having someone else give them in the authors'<br />absence. We also welcome "unpresented" papers for the Proceedings document.<br />There will be monetary awards for the best presentations.<br /><br />Offers of talks should be submitted as soon as possible; the final date for<br />full documents to be received is mid-June 2003 in order that the<br />"Proceedings" document be available to participants.<br /><br />Submissions should be sent *ONLY* to G3RWL, via the following routes:<br /><br />Internet e-mail: g3rwl@amsat.org<br /><br />Terrestrial mail: R W L Limebear G3RWL<br /> 60 Willow Road<br /> Enfield EN1 3NQ<br /> United Kingdom.<br />(no fax available)<br /><br />AMSAT-UK also invite anyone with requests for Program Topics to submit them<br />as soon as possible to G3RWL. Invitations for any papers on specific<br />subjects will be included in the future call. Likewise if anyone knows of a<br />good speaker, please send contact and other information to G3RWL.<br /><br />Additionally, Amsat-UK will be running sessions specifically for beginners<br />to amateur satellite operating on the Friday and Saturday afternoons;<br />volunteers are wanted to speak at these sessions.<br /><br />73 Richard G3RWL<br />Colloquium Programme organizer<br /><br />[ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-75.04<br />350th AMSAT Net on the Waltham, Massachusetts Repeater Marks a Milestone<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 75.04 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-75.04<br /><br />350th Waltham AMSAT Net, (Heavy Hitters AMSAT Net) will be on the 146.640<br />Waltham, Massachusetts repeater March 20 from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM.<br /><br />Everyone who checks into this net will get a certificate for checking in<br />that night from Ernie Mac Lauchlan, K1ELA.<br /><br />Ernie has been providing up to date information about satellites since<br />March 14, 1996. During his net he has also provided audio from various<br />satellites and manned spacecraft that have made passes while the net was<br />on the air.<br /><br />This is the only AMSAT net in and around the Boston area and Ernie has<br />cover a wide variety of subjects from the basic to advanced in amateur<br />satellite communication. Thank You Ernie<br /><br />[ANS thanks Rick Meuse, n1hid@juno.com for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-75.05<br />AMSAT Award Recipients Announced<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 75.05 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-75.05<br /><br />Congratulations go out to Tim Murphy, KC8TDS, Tracy Floren, K7KCS, and<br />Richard Cade, KG6GSU, for earning their Oscar Satellite Communications<br />Achievement Awards. They are recipients #369, #370 and #372.<br /><br />Also, congratulations go out to William Parham, KA9ERV, for earning his<br />Oscar Satellite Communications Achievement Award #371 as well as his Oscar<br />Sexagesimal Award #129.<br /><br />To see this award and a list of other awards, visit<br />http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html<br /><br />[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, for the above information]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-75.06<br />This Week's News in Brief<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 75.06 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 16, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-75.06<br /><br />** The ARRL Letter reports that the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act<br />of 2003 now has been introduced in both chambers of Congress. HR 713 and S<br />537 are twin ARRL initiatives aimed at ensuring the availability of spectrum<br />to amateur Radio operators. --ARRL Letter<br /><br />** Technical papers are being solicited for presentation at the 22nd Annual<br />ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference. The gathering is slated<br />for Hartford, Connecticut, from September 19th to the 21st. Submission of<br />papers is due by August 5th, 2003 and should be sent to Maty Weinberg, ARRL<br />Headquarters. --Newsline<br /><br />** After nearly four years of searching for extraterrestrial intelligence,<br />the SETI@home project will now take a closer look at its most promising<br />candidate radio sources. The "Stellar Countdown" will use Puerto Rico's<br />Arecibo radio telescope on March 18-20, 2003 to re-observe up to 150 of the<br />most interesting radio sources found out of the billions detected since the<br />distributed computing project began in May 1999. --SpaceDaily<br /><br />/EX<br /><br />Thanks and 73,<br />This weeks ANS Editor:<br />Lee McLamb, ku4os@amsat.org