SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.01 Phase 3C Ready For Launch HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 114.01 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT The new Phase 3C satellite stands complete and ready for launch with the completion this past week of all remaining pre-launch preparation tasks. The fueling was completed by a joint AMSAT-NA AMSAT-DL team. Most of the fueling team has now returned to their home bases and the project now moves to the final stage. All that remains is to stack the spacecraft on the launcher, monitor the status until launch day and then watch as it lofts to orbit in about one month. Returning to the U.S. from Kourou earlier this week, AMSAT-NA's Team 2 crew chief Dick Daniels, W4PUJ, reports the fueling operation went perfectly with no anomalies whatsoever. There was no repeat of the Phase 3B incident when safety observers detected minute propellant gas accumulation around the spacecraft. That was determined to be molecular-level seepage through some Teflon tubing. That tubing has not been used on Phase 3B. The new design, including a complete re-design of the valve and plumbing system is working perfectly. With the fueling complete, the spacecraft sits ready to be stacked with the other payloads Meteosat P2 and PANAMSAT on the huge Ariane 4 launcher. The launch is scheduled for around June 1 although the exact date remains to be determined by a complex decision process involving the May 11 scheduled launch of an INTELSAT spacecraft. Nevertheless, AMSAT planners are focusing on a morning launch window centered on June 1 with possible movement of the actual launch date up to 5 days either way (ahead or back). A comprehensive AMSAT Launch Information Network Service has been planned by VP of Operations Ralph Wallio, W0RPK. The plan appears in detail in ASR #174. The actual Phase 3C satellite frequencies were calibrated and announced a few weeks ago. Here is a reiteration of those frequencies: (This table was published in ASR #173.) Mode B: Uplink: 435.420 - 435.570 MHz Downlink: 145.975 - 145.825 MHz GB: 145.812 MHz EB: 145.985 MHz Mode JL: Uplink 1: 1269.620 - 1269.330 MHz Uplink 2: 144.425 - 144.475 MHz RUDAK up: 1269.710 MHz Downlink 1: 435.715 - 436.005 MHz Downlink 2: 435.990 - 435.940 MHz RUDAK down: 435.677 MHz GB: 435.651 MHz Mode S: Uplink: 435.601 - 435.637 MHz Downlink: 2400.711 - 2400.747 MHz Beacon: 2400.325 MHz /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.02 Skitrek Progress Report #13 HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.02 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Although closing in on the North Pole now, the joint Canadian-Russian Skitrek team is hardly "out of the woods", figuratively speaking, for they are currently encountering some of their most difficult trekking yet as they come within 60 km of the pole. Their arrival is planned for Monday, April 25, although heavy winds and cold temperatures may impede them. A major press conference including interviews and radio demonstrations is planned for Tuesday, April 26. Dignitaries will be arriving from Moscow and Ottawa along with members of the press to greet the skiers as they pass this important milestone. A 24 hour DXpedition special event station is being set up on the ice to be operated by the Russian and Canadian communications support team on April 26th. Barry (4K0DX/VE3CDX) and Leo (EX0CR) will be the main operators with others, perhaps the skier hams as well, joining in. Operations will take place primarily on 20 meters on a frequency yet to be determined. Demonstrations of HF, VHF and satellite communications will be given for the press. As they approached the Pole, the skiers sent a number of interesting messages south that revealed something of their life on the ice. A message of April 17th from Dr. Maxwell Buxton, the expedition's Canadian doctor, is typical. He said, in part: "We have been on the ice 45 days now and are ready to begin our final assault on the Pole. The journey has been divided into two week stages. Every stage has had its unique problems and solutions. The weather has warmed from a bone chilling -48 degrees Celsius to the present balmy -25. The mood has shifted from apprehension, somber internalization and concern with survival to optimization, conviviality and a sense of accomplishment. With the Pole just over 200 km away we are feeling spunkier than at any point to date." Some 10 thousand miles to the south and east in Napier, New Zealand, Lorraine Stevenson and Ruth Hallam have been sharing the Transpolar Skitrek Expedition with their students, ages 5 to 9 years. With the aid of David Lamont, ZL2AMD, the students have received the UO-11 Digitalker, plotted the Trek's progress, and discussed and simulated the skiers' journey. Lorraine reports, "For kids who have not experienced snow or cold to any degree, their interest and understanding of the problems of ice drift, cold, hardship being faced, is remarkable. We packed a back pack with wooden blocks to see how hard it would be to carry. We practice our skiing by putting (our) feet on long blocks and scooting around the room." Shayne Westerlaken, a six year old student of Lorraine's, told us in a separate letter that the pack "was very heavy. I couldn't stand up!" Meanwhile, on the Soviet Ice Island North Pole 28 not far from the Pole, Barry Garratt (4K0DX) is receiving dramatic exposure to REAL arctic risks. Thursday a large lead opened up in the ice of the ice island just two meters from the front door of the radio shack. As the 40 and 80 meter antennas drifted away from the shack, co-ax had to be cut. The 40 meter antenna was salvaged and both it and a new 80 meter antenna has been erected. The airstrip was on the separated section but by Saturday the lead was freezing over and that the situation at NP 28 was stable. A special demonstration message will be loaded on UoSAT OSCAR 11 beginning Monday, April 25 for the press conference the next day, Tuesday. The message may be monitored on the usual UO-11 2 meter downlink of 145.825 MHz. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.03 Skitrek Team Positions Update HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.03 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT TRANSPOLAR EXPEDITION POSITION/CONDITION REPORTS VIA NORDSKI COMM & HF APRIL 11 TO APRIL 23, 1988 RPT# PRIOR. DATE/TIME(GMT) LAT (N) LONG REMARKS ====================================================================== ======= 11APR88 12:06 87d 42.4'N 94d 55.7'E SARSAT/COSPAS 18 km progress 713 km total 259 km to Pole -30C Blizzard at Resolute with 40 knot winds and 40 meters visibility -24C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 12APR88 10:49 88d 02.7'N 95d 34.9'E SARSAT/COSPAS 37 km progress 750 km total 235 km to Pole -30C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Drop plane data 13APR88 88d 11.5'N 97d 07'E Inertial navigation 34 000 13APR88 10:42 88d 10.4'N 96d 45.2'E SARSAT/COSPAS 15 km progress 765 km total 220 km to Pole 3rd air drop today successful 970km from Cape Columbia Resolute temperature -24C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 35 000 14APR88 11:45 88d 11.4'N 95d 09.9'E SARSAT/COSPAS Day #2 at drop camp #3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 36 000 15APR88 10:35 88d 10.7'N 91d 41.2'E SARSAT/COSPAS Day #3 at drop camp #3 Pronounced west drift from Transpolar Drift Stream ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 16APR88 10:30 88d 08.9'N 90d 44.6'E SARSAT/COSPAS NP 28 Temperature -25C Trek resumes today ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 37 000 17APR88 11:00 88d 20.3'N 91d 28.9'E SARSAT/COSPAS 25km progress 185 km to Pole Two days from half-way point Morning temp -27C evening -32C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 38 000 18APR88 11:10 88d 33.9'N 91d 47.9'E SARSAT/COSPAS 27 km progress -30C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 39 000 19APR88 11:58 88d 45.8'N 94d 31.6'E SARSAT/COSPAS 27 km progress 140 km to N. Pole -35C Half-way to Canada today ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 40 000 20APR88 11:52 89d 00.0'N 95d 42.8'E SARSAT/COSPAS 25 km progress -30C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 41 000 21APR88 11:33 89d 11.9'N 89d 20.6'E SARSAT/COSPAS 20 km progress 91 km to Pole -22C 35 km/hr wind from NE A very difficult day for the skiers At NP 28 a crack opens in the ice island and a lead separates the airstrip from the living & working quarters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 42 000 22APR88 12:39 89d 21.2'N 80d 26.2'E SARSAT/COSPAS 21 km progress 64 km to Pole -20C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 43 000 23APR88 --:-- 89d 30.9'N 87d 54.9'E SARSAT/COSPAS 18 km progress 46 km to Pole -20C Situation stable at NP 28 as lead refreezes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.04 AMSAT Plans Strong Dayton Show HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.04 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT The annual spectacle which is the Dayton Hamvention is again drawing nigh. Amateur Radio enthusiasts (some would say masochists) from the world over are poised to descend on this southwestern Ohio town and turn it, if for only a weekend, into the ham radio capital of the universe. The air literally becomes electric. But this is not totally due to the simultaneous presence of upwards of 20,000 hams and almost as many HTs, but perhaps is more attributable to the "envelope stretching" which goes on one weekend a year in Dayton. There are more hams packed on one twelve acre site, more towers, more antennas, more radios, more hucksters, more junk, more prizes and more money than just about anywhere else you can name. New products which are worth debuting typically debut at Dayton. Companies which duck other conventions surface at Dayton. "If you do one event per year, you do Dayton," they typically say. The Dayton Hamvention is more like a city than a convention. Like a city, it embodies the best and the worst of the larger society. You find the best of Amateur Radio's leadership and the sleaziest of scheisters elbow to elbow plying the corridors. You find genuinely good people and plain crooks in adjacent booths ready to help you or ready to relieve you of your wallet. The "smell of greasepaint, the roar of the crowd" could just as well have been written of the circus which is the Dayton Hamvention each spring. Within this melee AMSAT will again establish its usual all-stops-out presence. Under the leadership of Field Operations VP Doug Loughmiller, KO5I, AMSAT will prepare the crowd for Phase 3C with a host of features. Featured AMSAT Forum speaker Jan King, W3GEY, back from Kourou for only two weeks, will provide an update on launch progress peppered with brand new slides and perhaps even some new videotape of the integration if editing can be completed in time. A colorful new AMSAT Phase 3C poster will debut and be available for the first time at Dayton. New software will be demonstrated in the dual booth area Doug has arranged for AMSAT. Without the usual AMSAT Board meeting at Dayton which had in prior years distracted many AMSAT leaders from the main arena, those leaders should be very much in evidence this year in and around the booth to meet you and answer your questions. Many will be giving presentations during the several AMSAT forums scheduled throughout the weekend. Foreign AMSAT dignitaries expected include Brasil AMSAT President Junior DeCastro, PY2BJO, AMSAT-LU President Carlos Huertas, LU1ENQ and AMSAT-LU First Vice President Arturo Carou, LU1AHC. Despite the circus-like atmosphere (perhaps, some say because of it!), the Dayton Hamvention remains the center of the Amateur Radio universe insofar as major convocations are concerned. AMSAT and scores of AMSAT members will be on hand to insure it lives up to the "Best" end of the billing spectrum. Why not drop in and help improve the scene still further. AMSAT looks forward to seeing you at its booth. See you there! /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.05 Phase 3C Info In Major Pubs HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.05 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT's Phase 3C Information Campaign is off and running with articles and advertisements now appearing in the May editions of major Amateur Radio magazines. The new Phase 3C ad appears in May QST (page 138), May `73' (page 98) and May Ham Radio (Page 46). Articles in `73' include fine pieces by Courtney Duncan, N5BF; Bob Diersing, N5AHD; Chuck Towns, K6LFH and Heather MacAllister, WA5RMA. These are in addition to Andy MacAllister's, WA5ZIB, fine regular `73' column. Quite a coup for `73' magazine with its "Super Satellite Issue!" The articles were coordinated by Project Leader Andy MacAllister, WA5ZIB. The June QST's cover story will be dedicated to Phase 3C and several authors are cranking out more Phase 3C articles to help get the word out on how to use the new satellite. Watch for their work in the major publications soon. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.06 FO-12 Operating Sked For May HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.06 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Mode From (UTC) -------------------- JA Apr 23 13:18 JA = analog mode D 24 12:24 JD = digital mode JD 26 10:30 D = all systems off DI 27 11:44 DI = systems off except CPU and memory JD 28 10:50 DI 29 11:57 JD Apr 30 11:03 DI May 01 10:09 JD 04 09:29 DI 05 08:35 JD 07 10:51 D 08 09:56 JA 14 06:33 D 16 06:47 JA 18 04:59 D 19 06:07 JA 21 06:20 D 23 04:32 JA 25 04:46 D 26 03:52 JD* 27 05:00 * Note: On 27 May a special telemetry format will JD 28 10:16 be employed using a 2-second acquisition D May 30 02:17 cycle. The mailbox will be inoperative during this period. Send reports on FO-12 mailbox to JARL (JJ1ZUT). The transponders will be off at other times. The actual operating schedule may change due to unexpected situations such as variations in available power. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-114.07 Short Bursts HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 100.07 FROM AMSAT HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC April 23, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT OSCAR 10 is slowly returning to life. Its beacon has been heard regularly in recent weeks indicating it's getting sufficient sunlight on its solar panels to power up the transponder. AO-10 command stations have been asked to determine if they believe AO-10 will be available for use and if so, when. Due to a clerical error, ASR #173 neglected to properly acknowledge the donation of Brasil AMSAT to the Phase 3C Insurance Fund. AMSAT-NA is grateful for the donation of $1000 by BRAMSAT to this account. The Soviet Union is planning to continue its program of launching Eastern-bloc Cosmonauts to their space station, Mir. According to Radio Moscow, "The training program for the Soviet-Bulgarian space crew is drawing to an end. On 15 May we are to conduct the final comprehensive examination. The launch will take place on 7 June." A Soviet-Afghan crew is "scheduled for on August 29", Radio Moscow said. Radio South Africa's "Amateur Radio Spectrum" program written and produced by SA AMSAT President Hans Van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, is changing frequency. The program can now be heard serving UK and Europe at 18:45 UTC Saturdays on 11.875 and 15.365 MHz and serving USA and Canada at 02:45 UTC on Sundays on 6.010, 9.580 and 9.615 MHz. /EX