************************************************************************** * * * THIS IS THE WD0GML-AMSAT-ST.LOUIS BBS 24HR 7DAY AT (314)447-3003 * * 300/1200/2400 BAUD * * Mike Parisey WD0GML SYSOP * * Norm Newman NZ0Z Co-SYSOP * * * ************************************************************************** SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-324.01 AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 324.01 FROM AMSAT-NA HQ SILVER SPRING, MD NOVEMBER 19, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT SIXTH ANNUAL SPACE SYMPOSIUM WAS A GREAT SUCCESS! Thanks to the excellent planning and execution of the Atlanta Radio Club (ARC), the Sixth Annual AMSAT Space Symposium was a great success! With over 130 in attendance and representing eleven countries, AMSAT members had a chance to enjoy nineteen papers covering a wide range of topics which are of current interest to the AMSAT satellite user community. Papers dealing with the Polar SKITREK Expedition, Microsats, Amateur Radio Balloon Experiments, Weather Satellites, and the use of OSCAR's in education, were presented throughout the day. The following is a brief summary of the major aspects of the Symposium which was held in Atlanta, GA on November 11-12. Election Results For the Board of Directors Tom Clark, W3IWI 1506 Vern Riportella, WA2LQQ 1395 Phil Karn, KA9Q 1045 Andy MacAllister, WA5ZIB 947 First Alternate is John Henry, VE2VQ, with 892 votes; Second Alternate is Doug Loughmiller, KO5I, with 797 votes. The total number of ballots casted for the election of the Board of Directors was 1,773 votes. Officers Elected by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors: Chairman: Jan King (W3GEY) President: Doug Loughmiller (KO5I) Executive VP: John Champa (K8OCL) VP of Engineering: Jan King (W3GEY) VP of Operations: Courtney Duncan (N5BF) Treasurer: Art Feller (KB4ZJ) AMSAT Corp. Sec.: Martha Saragovitz Officers Elected by the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors: V.P. of User Operations: Andy MacAllister (WA5ZIB) V.P. of Field Operations: Jack Crabtree (AA0P) V.P. of Manned Space Projects: Bill Tynan (W3XO) V.P. of Special Programs: Ray Soifer (W2RS) Awards Presented for Outstanding Service to AMSAT-NA: Technical Awards For Their Work on Microsats: Tom Clark, W3IWI Dick Jansson, WD4FAB Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD Matjaz Vidmar, YT3MV Recognition For Their Efforts in Making the 1987 AMSAT-NA Space Symposium in Detroit, MI a Success: Larry Koziel, K8MU, and Steve Culp, K8QKY Recognition For His Innovative Efforts On The Space Education Net (SEN): K.O. Learner, K9PVW Recognition Of His Tireless Efforts in Planning, Coordinating, and Hosting the 1988 AMSAT-NA Space Symposium: Byron Lindsey, W4BIW, "The Old Goat" For Outstanding Service to AMSAT-NA In User Services: Regional Coordinators: Jack Crabtree, AA0P Keith Pugh, W5IU Area Coordinators: Keith Berglund, WB5ZDP John Clowe, W4ZPG David Miracle, KA4UFM Dave Cowdin, WD0HHU For His Outstanding Service and Support to AMSAT-NA During The Dayton Hamventions: Bob Rogers, W8JLE Major items voted on and approved by the Board of Directors included the following: 1) Weber State College Statement-of-Work for the Phase-IV Mock-Up Model and Engineering Analysis 2) Changes In AMSAT-NA Publications, and the appointment of Joe Kasser, G3ZCZ/W3 as Editor of the new AMSAT-NA publication 3) Proposal By Dr. Alberto Zagni, I2KBD, of the AMSAT-Italy and Amateur Radio Association of Italy for building a Microsat Satellite with AMSAT-NA 4) Revision of the AMSAT-NA By-Laws The major event of the the Symposium occurred when Leo Labutin, UA3CR, Byron Lindsey, W4BIW, and Doug Lougmiller, KO5I, each made contact with U2MIR from the parking lot of the Airport Marriott Hotel with Musa Manorov operating the Mir 2M FM station. Sitting in Byron's station wagon and with a one element homebrew loop antenna being pointed manually by Tom Clark, W3IWI, Leo was able to make a contact with U2MIR. Byron's mobile station included a ICOM 2AT, and with his power amplifier, the output power was around 30 watts. Although the reception was marginal, Leo, Byron, and Doug were each able to make a contact. The Cosmonauts sent their greetings to all those who were attending the AMSAT Symposium. Standing around the station wagon was about sixty AMSAT members watching and listening. This was the first time an orbiting Soviet Cosmonaut made contact with a U.S. amateur radio station. Keynote Speaker Geoffrey Perry of the Kettering Group presented an informative and humorous discussion on some of his most interestings experiences in "satellite sleuthing" at the AMSAT Banquet Saturday night. Leo, in his talk to those attending the AMSAT Banquet, spoke about many of the humorous experiences the skiers of the Polar SKITREK Expedition. Also, Leo explained how the Cosmonauts were able to smuggle the Yaesu FT-290 aboard Mir in a cake box. Leo also mentioned that there is an American-Soviet SKITREK Expedition being planned for the Antartic next year. On Sunday, the day after the Symposium, Leo Labutin, UA3CR, became UA3CR/W4 as a result of passing the Amateur Extra Exam administered to him by two Volunteer Examiners at Georgia Tech. Leo mentioned that his biggest problem was understanding all of the FCC regulations but after studying the night before, he had no problem passing all of the exam elements from Novice to Extra class and definately no problem with the Morse Code and theory parts of the exams. While many technical papers were being delivered, there was a considerable number of developements made in the education area: 1) Agreement with UA3CR to create an Antartic SKITREK Teachers Guide 2) Establishment of AMSAT Space Educations Materials Centers in each country with an AMSAT organization 3) Activation of the AMSAT Educations Materials Working Group 4) Establishment of the mechanism by which children world-wide can submit "messages of peace" to be spoken by the Project Dove Brazilian Microsat The main contributors to these educational efforts were made by Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, Hans Van de Groonendahl, ZS6AKV, and Junior de Castro, PY2BJO. From the standpoint of different and exciting subjects discussed, this AMSAT-NA Symposium was a "first" in itself. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-324.02 U2MIR OPERATIONS BEGIN! HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 324.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD NOVEMBER 19, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Cosmonauts Begin "Space Mobile" Operations From Mir With the first contacts made with the Cosmonauts on the Mir Space Station on Saturday November 12th, amateur radio operators are now making frequent contacts with U2MIR. The following is a summary of observations and suggestions which have been forwarded to AMSAT-NA concerning Mir Operations: 1) The Cosmonauts are NOT operating split frequencies but SIMPLEX between the frequency range of 145.500 MHz to 145.600 MHz. Contacts have been made, for example, on 145.52, 145.55, 145.565, ... ,etc. 2) Signals have been reported to be very strong. 3) Cosmonuats have been operating during the week; originally AMSAT was told that they would be only operating on the weekends only. 4) Musa Manarov, U2MIR, speaks very good English. 5) Although no QSL information has been offically announced, probably sending a QSL card to P.O. Box 88, Moscow will be a good bet for receiving a QSL card back. 6) John Biro, K1KSY, suggest that amateurs wait until U2MIR calls CQ before calling U2MIR. Also, John mentions that Musa will not work another station until he has finished the one he is working. Pleas keep in mind that the Cosmonauts are sill NOVICES and that working a "DX pile-up" is a new experience. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-324.03 Short Burst Items HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 324.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD NOVEMBER 19, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Short Burst Items AMSAT-NA Science Education Advisor Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, is compiling a list of stations which can Gateway OSCAR-10 and OSCAR-13 to local repeaters. Rich is especially interested in Gateway stations willing to participate in school interchanges via satellite. If you have a Gateway station and wish to participate, please call or write to Rich Ensign. You can reach him by phone at (313) 274-1718 or by mail at 421 N. Military, Dearborn, MI 48124. Those who want a copy of the compiled list should send Rich a s.a.s.e. Both Mode B and Mode L gateways are being sought. Gateways in all countries are welcomed and encouraged to participate. The next session of the Space Education net (SEN) has been scheduled for Saturday November 26, 1988. The Mode B session will run from 15:00 to 16:00 UTC. The downlink frequency will be 145.960 MHz. No Mode L session has been scheduled because of a lack of Mode L Net Control Stations. Slow Scan TV will be transmitted on a downlink frequency of 145.965 MHz. Tests have shown that a SSTV signal at beacon strength provides a FB picture. Additional Net Control Stations are needed, particularly for the Mode L sessions of the SEN. If you would like to assist the SEN in this important position please volunteer today. Contact K.O. Learner, K9PVW, at P.O. Box 5006, Kokomo, IN 46904 or via packet @KD9QB with your SEN questions or comments or to volunteer to assist the SEN. Check-ins and participatnts are invited for both sessions. /EX FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Current Notes on Working U2MIR Musa, U2MIR, continues to make contacts, having been worked by several stations during Orbits 15826 and 15827. Following up on recent comments from N4HY and K1KSY, here are some more operating "hints and kinks": 1. While Musa's early QSO's were on 145.550 simplex, lately he has begun to vary the procedure. One station reported calling him on 145.525 and having Musa come back on the caller's frequency, an operating tactic which has come to be known on the HF bands as "Russian roulette" (no pun intended). This morning, AF1U reported working Musa split-frequency, with U2MIR on 145.550 and AF1U on 145.575. 2. I hope that Musa continues to work split-frequency, because downlink QRM on 145.550 is getting to be a problem. If you do observe Musa working simplex, please keep your calls short! No more than a "1x2" call, e.g., "U2MIR from W2RS W2RS" ought to be sufficient, with frequent listening pauses between calls. I've heard stations making calls as long as "3x3" on simplex; not only are those less likely to be effective in the pile-up, but they may also prevent Musa from being heard in the vicinity of the calling station. 3. At the AMSAT-NA meeting in Atlanta, UA3CR said that Musa's FT-290 transceiver is programmed to operate between 145.50 and 145.60 MHz. Although his primary frequency will be 145.55, he literally could tune and pop up anywhere in that range. 4. If Musa ever did "go begging" after calling CQ, those days are gone forever, at least over populated areas of North America. I've listened to several of the tapes which W0ORE made from Challenger, and from those we know what an FM pile-up sounds like...silence! A large number of stations on one frequency, with none strong enough to induce capture, results in no intelligence at all getting through. That probably accounts for Musa's long periods of silence during orbits in which he is known to be on. He's listening, but hasn't heard anything through the "silent pile-up." To break through yourself, you either need good luck in calling during a "hole" in the QRM, or to make a "hole" yourself with a high-gain antenna aimed at the spacecraft. No simple omnidirectional antenna in the world will beat a good beam for working a manned spacecraft on FM, as experience with W0ORE and W5LFL clearly demonstrated. 5. To use a high-gain antenna successfully, you need current Keplerian elements. Because Mir's orbit is constantly changing, be sure you have the latest set of keps in your computer at all times. 6. As noted by K1KSY, please do not call Musa while he is in QSO with another station; that just slows things down for everyone. 7. My suggestion for phonetics is to stick to the standard ICAO alphabet, e.g., "whisky two romeo sierra". As a cosmonaut, Musa obviously has a good background in aviation and has proven to be familiar with these phonetics. This will avoid any possible problems with unfamiliar English words, or confusion over Roman-vs.-Cyrillic letters. 8. All contacts of which I am aware were made between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m., Eastern time, with the emphasis on the early part of that range. However, be aware that Musa's available time slot may change; he could pop up any time Mir is within range. Please, therefore, encourage users in your area to keep 145.55 clear if possible. Good luck to all, and 73, from Ray, W2RS QUIKTRAK V4.0 In anticipation of the release of QT version 4.0, the sales of QT 3.2 are hereby SUSPENDED. No one may sell QT 3.2 for ANY reason. The update to QT 4.0 will not come under the old update rule and I don't someone crying foul because they just paid X for QT 3.2 and the update to 4.0 costing X/2. Please spread this to all the field organization members as soon as possible. Bob N4HY MORE MIR INFO While tracking MIR last night and monitoring 145.55 Mhz for a possible QSO, I noticed a weak signal opening my rec. squelch. At first I attributed this to nearby over the horizon signals. However, the signal exhibited a doppler shift and when the antennas were off pointed the signal weakened and the squelch closed. It appeared as though the signals were coming from the direction of MIR. The signal was noisy and no modulation was detected. I do not think the signal was being transmitted from MIR. Could this signal have been the re-radiation of many ground station signals on 145.55 from the passive antenna on MIR? Has anyone else heard this? 73, Roy (W0SL)