AMSAT News

E. Mike McCardel, KC8YLD Appointed AMSAT VP-Educational Relations

by
E. Mike McCardel, KC8YLD, new AMSAT-NA VP-Educational Relations
E. Mike McCardel, KC8YLD, new AMSAT-NA VP-Educational Relations

AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has accepted the resignation of Mark Hammond, N8MH as VP-Educational Relations and appointed E. Michael McCardel, KC8YLD as his replacement.

Mark Hammond, N8MH of Coats, NC has served as VP-Educational Relations since December 2011.  During his tenure, Mark established a team focused on educational issues and supporting the educational objectives of AMSAT.  A highlight for the team was the ARISS contact conducted during the 2012 Pacificon Convention in October 2012  in Santa Clara, CA that provided an opportunity for a group of selected  young people from the Santa Clara area to ask questions directly to an astronaut on board the International Space Station with an audience of the participant’s family members and amateur radio operators in attendance.  Managing a school contact during an ARRL Convention provided a unique opportunity to highlight ARISS before a much wider audience that appreciated both the technical details of communications technology and the wonder of students speaking to an astronaut.  Members of Mark’s Education Team, including Joe Spier, K6WAO, Dale Hunzeker, KJ6VUC and E.Mike were all involved in the management of the ARISS contact at Pacificon.

Read more

September/October AMSAT Journal is Ready

by
SeptOct2013_Cover
Click on image to enlarge

The September/October AMSAT Journal is ready. This issue is on the way to the print shop. The next stop will be the post office and then your mailbox. Here is a preview of what you will find in this issue:

  • Apogee View by Barry Baines, WD4ASW
  • Exploring the Fox-2 Maximum Power Point Tracking System by Mark Spencer, WA8SME
  • W7LRD Grid Expedition to CN77 by Bob Johnson, W7LRD
  • AMSAT-UK Prepares for November Launch of FUNcube-1
  • 2013 AMSAT Field Day Results by Bruce Paige, KK5DO
  • Museum Ships Weekend 2013 – Satellites and a Balloon by Andy MacAlister, W5ACM and Allen Mattis, N5AFV
  • Kitty Litter Radio Carrier for Portable Operation by Randy Hall, K7AGE
  • AMSAT at Dayton 2013 by Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
  • Ham Video Transmitter Aboard Columbus by Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

 

Final Call for Papers for the 2013 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium

by

This is the final call for papers for the 2013 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space
Symposium to be held on the weekend of November 1 – 3, 2013, at the Marriott
Hobby Airport Hotel, Houston, Texas. Proposals for papers, symposium
presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to
the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your
presentation as soon as possible, with final copy to be submitted by October 5
for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent
to Dan Schultz, N8FGV

2013 AMSAT Symposium Tours Announced

by

AMSAT has arranged for two special tours as part of this year’s Symposium.

BattleshipTexas
Battleship Texas BB-35

On Sunday there will be a tour of the Battleship Texas BB-35, the only surviving US Navy warship that served in both World Wars.  It is currently opened to the public while undergoing extensive restoration to ready her for the 100th anniversary of her commissioning in 2014.  A special tour has been arranged for AMSAT Symposium participants. Transportation will depart the Marriott at 1030, and the formal tour will be completed at 1400. Transportation will be available directly to Houston Hobby airport from the ship.  There will be an optional lunch at a popular local restaurant followed by a return to the Marriott at 1600.  $20 per person.

Saturn5
JSC Saturn V

On Monday there will be a tour of the Johnson Space Center.  The tour will include the Sonny Carter Neutral Buoyancy Lab and the Building 9 Training facility containing high fidelity full scale mockups of the International Space Station modules as well as the Soyuz spacecraft.  The ISS tour will include special emphasis of the amateur radio stations on the ISS. The tour will also include the Building 30 historic mission control room as well as the current International Space Station control room, and a special visit to the JSC ARC station W5RRR. Transportation will depart the Marriott at 0800, and will stop at Houston Hobby airport at 1415 before returning to the hotel at 1430.  $30 per person.

Detailed information and registration on the AMSAT Store for the Battleship Texas and the NASA JSC tours.  Please be aware that due to the requirement for additional information, primarily for foreign nationals, the JSC tour must be booked directly with the AMSAT-NA office. Information on the tour, and the registration procedure, are described in the item on the AMSAT Store.  Attempting to order it on the Store will result in an Out of Stock message.  We regret the inconvenience.  The Battleship Texas tour can be booked through the store, since there is no requirement for additional information.