AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-329

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:
* AMSAT-DL asks and receives assistance to maintain the ZEL for another
year
* AMSAT at two hamfests 01 December 2007
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 19 November 2007

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-329.01
AMSAT-DL asks and receives assistance to maintain the ZEL for another
year

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 329.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 25, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-329.01

Earlier this year the Directors of AMSAT-DL were informed by the
University
of Marburg in Germany that it had been decided that funding for the ZEL
by
the University would cease at the end of 2007. The Directors approached
AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-UK for financial assistance in keeping the ZEL open
for
another year. The sum of 25,000 Euros was requested.

At recent meetings of the AMSAT-NA Board and of the AMSAT-UK Committee,
it
was agreed that both would contribute to the donation. Given the
relative
sizes of the two donating AMSAT groups it was agreed that AMSAT-NA would
donate 75% of the money required, and that AMSAT-UK would donate 25%.

The ZEL (Zentrales Entwicklungslabor fur electronic, roughly translated
as
the Central Development Laboratory for Electronics) has been the
facility
which, over the last 40 years, has been at the centre of much amateur
satellite development activity by members of the University, members of
AMSAT-DL, as well as other members of AMSAT from outside Germany. The
most
famous satellite to be produced there was OSCAR-13 which gave the
Amateur
Radio Community many years of excellent service.

Currently under construction is Phase 3E, a satellite similar in size
and
shape to OSCAR-13, but with many advanced features. It will carry a 70
cms
to 2 metre band transponder, as well as transponders on other bands.
Importantly it will carry its own rocket motor which will boost its
orbit
into a highly elliptical one, which will give world wide coverage,
allowing
ordinary radio amateur great DX possibilities through the transponders.
Radio Amateurs have not had such a satellite since the demise of AO-40
in
March 2004.

The P3E satellite is still under construction in the ZEL, and its
completion
is anticipated for sometime in 2008. It is note worthy that some of the
personnel employed by the University to work in the ZEL have undertaken
to
continue working on P3E as volunteers.

Links:
Pictures of the ZEL
http://www.uk.amsat.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId2

[ANS thanks Jim, G3WGM, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-329.02
AMSAT at two hamfests 01 December 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 329.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 25, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-329.02

AMSAT will be represented at two hamfests over the weekend of 01
December
2007.

Patrick, WD9EWK, will be manning at table at the Superstition ARC
Hamfest
Hamfest in Mesa, AZ. This hamfest is at Mesa Community College. In
addition
to the AMSAT table there will be AO-51 demonstrations in the morning.

Hamfest details can be found at
http://wb7tjd.org/hamfest/

Across the country at the Tampa Hamfest in Palmetto (Bradenton), FL,
Drew
Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT's VP of Operations will be manning the AMSAT
booth

and conducting demos. Executive VP Lee McLamb, KU4OS, will be leading
the
forum session at 11AM Saturday with several speakers to provide
information
on current and future satellites. Info on the Tampa hamfest can be
found at
http://www.fgcarc.org/ .

[ANS thanks Patrick, WD0EWK and Drew, KO4MA for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-329.03
Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 329.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 25, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-329.03

+ Robert, G8ATE reports he has obtained the special callsign GB0OO
Golf Bravo Zero Oscar One. The special events station will be
active on the amateur radio satellites between December 12 through
December 16. GB2NSC at the National space centre in Leicester,
England may be on the air as well.

+ Jeff, KE9V captured Gerd, WB8IFM manning the AMSAT booth and
speaking at the AMSAT forum at the Ft Wayne, Indiana Hamfest.
http://ke9v.smugmug.com/photos/222644028-L.jpg
http://ke9v.smugmug.com/photos/222648515-L.jpg

+ Henk, PA3GUO reports the ANDE De-Orbit website, created by Mike,
DK3WN is on-line at: http://www.ande-deorbit.com. Additional
information about ANDE can be found at:
http://web.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande-ops.html
http://web.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande/ande-tlm.txt

+ A view of the work in progress at AMSAT-NA's new satellite int-
gration lab in Maryland can be seen at:
http://n4hy.smugmug.com/gallery/3841264

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

/EX



SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-329.04
ARISS Status - 19 November 2007

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 329.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
November 25, 2007
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-329.04

1. ARISS School Contacts Status

Due to the very demanding schedules of the crew onboard the ISS, no
Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts have been
planned
at
this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume once STS-122
launches
in
December.


2. Columbus Module Installed in Atlantis Payload Bay

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) antennas were
installed on the nadir of the Columbus Module in October. The Columbus
Module
has been moved to the Atlantis payload bay in preparation for a December
6
launch. An article has been posted on the ARISS-Europe Web site. See:
http://www.ariss-eu.org/2007_11_18.htm


3. Amateur Radio Day Article

Midlakes Intermediate School participated in Amateur Radio Day on
November 2

in celebration of Pam Melroy’s STS-120 mission. The local paper ran an

article on the event. See: http://www.mpnnow.com/news/x9494626


4. Video Posted of Pontes Radio Contact

The first Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, PY0AEB, flew on the ISS in
April,
2006. He participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station
(ARISS) contact and made a few radio contacts with the public. Fabiano
Moser,
PY5RX, was one of those who spoke with Pontes. Upon returning to Earth,
Pontes
presented Fabiano with a gift during a public speech in Bauru, Brazil
commemorating his ISS contact. A video of Pontes during the radio
contact
with
Fabiano was recorded by US astronaut Bill McArthur on the ISS. The
video
may
be found on this website: http://iss.ontwikkel.nl


5. ARISS Mentioned in QST

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) in its December issue of QST.
Under "Media Hits" (page 12) is a paragraph about the Macomb Daily and
the
Detroit Free Press -- two articles talking about the September ARISS
contact
with Martin Luther King Academy in Mount Clemens, Michigan.

On page 62 is a section about the ARRL/TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet
Radio)
26th
Annual Digital Communications Conference held on September 28-30, in
Hartford,
Connecticut. A list is given on the presentation topics, including a
talk on
SuitSat-2.

Also on page 62-63 is an article: "Hams Named to Key NASA Positions"
listing
Ellen Ochoa, KB5TZZ, named as deputy director at JSC, and Bob Cabana,
KC5HBV,
named director of NASA Stennis Space Center.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, 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,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS