AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-063

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:


In this edition:

* Progress Report on New AMSAT Maryland Laboratory
* TAPR Digital Communications Conference Call For Papers
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status Report for the Week of February 26, 2007
* Don't Forget the AMSAT-DC Meeting and Space Seminar Coming March 24

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-063.01
Progress Report on New AMSAT Maryland Laboratory

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 063.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 4, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-063.01

Bob Davis, KF4KSS provides ANS readers with an update on the
new AMSAT Laboratory, under construction. Bob writes,"AMSAT
is soon to have a new spacecraft integration lab in Pocomoke,
Maryland!

Our lab space is being hosted by the Hawk Institute for Space
Sciences (a non-profit affiliated with the University of Maryland
Eastern Shore). Since three 24' rental trucks arrived just after
the New Year, we've had volunteer Saturdays (including two 3-day
weekends).

Thanks go to the 16 volunteers that have come by so far, from
Maryland and Virginia Eastern Shore residents, DC area, and two
from much farther that drove the rental trucks! After substantial
cleaning, sorting and inventory, we have finally seriously addressed
assembly of the cleanroom. Once finished, it will be 20'x20', as
remembered from Orlando, FL, during P3D (later named AO-40) assembly
& testing. This time, we're preparing for Eagle! Besides the clean
room, we have an assortment of parts, tools, test equipment, flow
bench, spin balance machine, cleanroom crane, documentation from
previous projects, and office/lab furniture and supplies.

Look to upcoming AMSAT Journals for additional updates and photos.
The new lab is located about 3 hours southeast of Washington, DC.
For further information, contact AMSAT or Bob Davis directly at
. And as always, your volunteerism and donations
to AMSAT make it all happen!

[ANS thanks Bob, KF4KSS for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-063.02
TAPR Digital Communications Conference Call For Papers

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 063.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 4, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-063.02

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 26th Annual ARRL
and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held September 28-30,
2007 in Hartford, Connecticut. These papers will also be published in
the Conference Proceedings (you do NOT need to attend the conference to
have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is
July 31, 2007. Please send papers to:

Maty Weinberg
ARRL
225 Main St
Newington, CT 06111 or you can make your submission via e-mail to:


Papers will be published exactly as submitted and authors will retain
all rights.

[ANS thanks Steve, WB8IMY at the ARRL for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-063.03
Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 063.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 4, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-063.03

+ Drew, KO4MA reports the ARRL has amended its Field Day rules
in regards to satellite stations. Details are available at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/fd.html.

+ Trevor, M5AKA sent information that the United Kingdom is con-
sidering band changes at WRC-07 where other services may overlap
existing amateur allocations at 2300-2400 MHz, 3400 to 3600 MHz,
and just below 70cm 410-430 MHz. Anyone can respond to Ofcom
consultations, they are NOT resistriced to British Isles or EU
citizens. The deadline for responses is 30 March. More info at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/wrc07/.

+ Kosmotras has advised CalPoly CubeSat Management that their next
DNEPR launch is scheduled for March 27, 2007. Payloads will include
CubeSats, EgyptSat and SaudiSats, and 3 CubeSat P-PODs with assign-
ments as follows:

P-POD A CalPoly PolySat CP4 (OSCAR)
AeroSpace AeroCube-2
Boeing CSTB-1

P-POD B CalPoly PolySat CP3 (OSCAR)
University of Louisiana CAPE-1 (OSCAR)
Universidad Sergio Arboleda (Colombia) Libertad-1 (OSCAR)

P-POD C Tethers Unlimited MAST (triple-cube)

More information including OSCAR frequencies and modes will be updated
at http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/CubeSat.htm. Additional info
will be available at CalPoly's CubeSat web page:
http://cubesat.atl.calpoly.edu/. (Thanks Ralph, WØRPK)

+ USA amateurs will have the opportunity this week to copy the ISS
in direct ARISS school contacts. Monitor the 145.800 MHz FM downlink
for these planned school contacts:

1. Boulder Hill Elementary School, Montgomery, Illinois, direct via
W9BHB Tue 2007-03-06 16:06 UTC 87 deg; also with IRLP, Echolink,
and web coverage.

2. Mission Viejo, CA, direct via K6UCI Thu 2007-03-08 16:42 UTC 45 deg.

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-063.04
ARISS Status Report for the Week of February 26, 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 063.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 4, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-063.04

1. New Delhi School Contact Successful

Vasant Valley School in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India experienced a
successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact on Saturday, February 24 via the telebridge station WH6PN in
Hawaii. Thirteen students asked fifteen questions of Sunita Williams,
KD5PLB. Kalpana Chawla's niece and nephew were among the participants,
and several media outlets attended. The audio was fed into the EchoLink
AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) servers, (receiving 8 connections
from 6 countries), as well as into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.
It was also webcast by Verizon Conferencing. The Hindu posted an
article on its website, covering the event. See:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/h...0702242075.htm

Video from India Broadcast News (IBN) can be viewed on:
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/kids-get...ms/34396-11.ht
ml

2. Additional School Contacts

Escola Camilo Castelo Branco in Carnaxide, Portugal had an Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, February 26
via the telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. The high school students
have a curriculum which includes Physics, Chemistry and Philosophy. One
of the main goals of this project is to study current scientific and
technological development. Many of these students will continue their
studies at the university, choosing areas related to aerospace engineering
and taking with them new knowledge from this event.

Virginia Run Elementary School in Centreville, Virginia had an Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, March 2.
Virginia
Run is located in a suburb of Washington, D.C. and has an enrollment of 830
students in grades K- 6. A contest was held to choose the best questions to
ask the ISS crew member. Astronaut Carl Walz will visit the school prior to
the contact to give a presentation to the students. He will bring his space-
suit, memorabilia and videos to share with the school. This contact is a
Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, crew pick. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
Virginia Section Manager has posted a press release on the Virginia Section
web page. See: http://www.arrlva.us

3. Training Status

Russian delegate Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, took part in a session with
flight participant Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, and provided training on
the amateur radio hardware. He has been working on a procedure to restore
the Kenwood radio to its proper configuration, which Simonyi will carry
out once on board the ISS. Photos of the session may be viewed on the
Energia website:
http://www.energia.ru/english/energi...oto_02-21.html

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-063.05
Don't Forget the AMSAT-DC Meeting and Space Seminar Coming March 24

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 063.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
March 4, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-063.05

Are you near Washington, D.C. or know someone who is? Then YOU ARE
HEREBY INVITED to the next AMSAT-DC Meeting and Space Seminar. The
day-long event will be held on Saturday, March 24 near BWI airport.

Get the meeting announcement at
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/field...il.php?eID=259
and share it with others.

In building our agenda, we are lining up one or two presentations
from local folks who are building a CubeSat of all things! We'll
take a close look at the brand new AMSAT lab on our eastern shore.
Get news on a new S-Band beacon. Lots more will be offered too.

Please forward this event announcement to one who might like to know
about it. Take it to a club meeting. Announce it on a net. Gosh,
tell a high school or college student -- and an instructor too.
All are invited.

[ANS thanks Pat, N8PK, AMSAT-DC Co-host 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,
JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM