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1988-03-21
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* AMSAT NA News Service Bulletins *
* NEWS079 19Mar88 *
* [ Copyright 1988 by AMSAT NA, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ] *
* [ Permission is granted for unlimited redistribution by electronic or ] *
* [ other means provided credit is given to AMSAT NA News Service (ANS). ] *
* [ Edited for AMSAT NA by WA2LQQ. ] *
* [ This edition was forwarded by the W0RPK-AMSAT Bulletin Board System ] *
* [ operating on 515-961-3325 24-hours Ralph Wallio, W0RPK SYSOP ] *
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[Note to NCS and other communicators: Beginning with this ANS bulletin, we
will no longer be carrying the "Recent News In Review" section. This action
is taken to save on communication costs. You should, however, assure you have
the prior week's bulletins on hand to recap important items. Most news items
have a lifetime of about two weeks.
Also, for packet BBS activities, a special formatted version of the bulletins
will be available to facilitate transmission through the packet network
beginning next week.]
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Headlines:
1. Brazil AMSAT To Build Educational Satellite With AMSAT NA
2. Latest SKITREK Progress Report (direct from Rich Ensign)
3. Board Meeting Highlights
4. Motorola Donates Complex DSP Package
5. Board Reviews Dues Structure; New Rates Reflect Postal Increase
6. Short Bursts
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1. Brazil AMSAT To Build Educational Satellite With AMSAT NA
Brazil AMSAT (BRAMSAT) and AMSAT North America (AMSAT NA) have agreed in
principle to collaborate on a joint educational satellite project. The
satellite will carry an advanced voice synthesizer and be designed for easy
reception by Amateurs with minimal equipment. Called "Brazil Peacetalker",
the satellite will transmit voice telemetry of spacecraft operating conditions
as well as a voice greeting to other space faring nations to work towards the
peaceful use of space. This theme may lead into the International Space Year
now planned for 1992.
Brazil Peacetalker will be designed to be received by schools using minimal
equipment and for Amateurs who wish to explore space sciences by logging and
studying the telemetry. Preliminary plans have the telemetry read in English
while the greeting messages would be articulated in Portuguese, English and
Russian. Other languages could be added. The specific messages will be
programmable by a ground command station which shall be under the control of
international authorities.
The preliminary agreement was reached in Boulder Colorado March 6 when BRAMSAT
President Dr. Junior De Castro, PY2BJO, met with AMSAT NA officials. A
definitive agreement is imminent these officials stated. The AMSAT Board of
Directors which met March 12 and 13 has reviewed the project and finds it in
AMSAT NA's interest to consummate a final accord with BRAMSAT. If plans go
forward as expected, the Brazil Peacetalker will be launched in early 1989
into an approximately 800 km high orbit. Plans call for Brazil Peacetalker to
be launched with AMSAT NA's packet radio satellite and perhaps a third
satellite of the same class. These satellites will be small but highly
capable. An important design criterion is that they be easily heard on the
ground with omni-directional antennas.
The satellite will be funded by BRAMSAT and the tasks partitioned between
organizations based on a to-be-negotiated Statement of Work. A preliminary
design has been completed and construction will begin upon signing of the
definitive agreement.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2. Latest SKITREK Progress Report (direct from Rich Ensign)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3. Board Meeting Highlights
The AMSAT Board of Directors met at AMSAT Headquarters in Silver Spring,
Maryland March 12 and 13. Here are the highlights of the two day meeting.
Jan King, W3GEY, currently Vice President of Engineering, was elected Chairman
of the Board of Directors. Jan co-founded AMSAT in 1969 and has been a Board
member since then. He is the only original member of the Board still active.
He replaces John Browning, W6SP, who resigned from the Board last month. John
Henry, VE2VQ, formerly First Alternate Director, was seated upon W6SP's
resignation and participated in the Board meeting as a full voting member.
Andy, MacAllister, WA5ZIB, elevated to First Alternate Director, did not
attend.
Administrative Director Martha Saragovitz was recognized and applauded on
having completed 10 years as an AMSAT employee. She will receive a plaque to
display on the office wall together with her other meritorious service awards.
Deliberations of the Board covered matters such as liability insurance and
hazard insurance, accounting for volunteer labor expenditure, ASR costs and
the 1988 budget. Income has sagged probably due to AO-10's demise. As a
result, unless renewals turn around, the budget will have to be trimmed
sharply. The influx of new members and renewals associated with the Phase 3C
launch should revive a healthy financial picture, however, all agreed.
Field Operations progress was reported by VP of Field Ops, Doug Loughmiller,
KO5I. A strengthened Field organization is at hand Doug said. The AMSAT News
Service bulletins will be partitioned into smaller blocks to facilitate
transmission through the packet radio network and on to packet BBS. The
changes will go into effect in late March.
AMSAT will play a key role in the International Space Year (ISY), if plans
continue on course. AMSAT is forced to defend its copyright on its corporate
name several times per year at least at a cost of several thousands of dollars
in legal fees. New accounting software is being installed at Headquarters to
make the bookkeeping easier and more auditable. Telecommunications costs are
running at about 10% of the annual budget or about $20,000. Electronic mail
comprises more than half of that amount but the expense was recognized as
reasonable and the cost of doing business in a dispersed office environment;
with volunteers spread all over the world.
Recognition of launch insurance donations will be made in ASR at the earliest
opportunity. A very important joint AMSAT-TAPR Digital Signaling Processing
project was given the go-ahead. The object will be to manufacture for sale
special DSP boxes later this spring. The hardware sales will generate a
revenue stream to help pay for the PACSAT satellite now being developed and
will complement an on-going software sales effort.
A joint Brazil AMSAT and AMSAT NA project for an educational satellite was
approved subject to final contract definitization. This satellite will
tentatively be launched in 1989 with AMSAT NA's PACSAT.
A collaborative effort with Weber State University in Ogden, Utah is highly
desirable and likely the Board was told. Discussions on this subject will
continue apace. Weber State built the NUSAT-1 satellite and operated as well.
Fund raising program initiatives were very much on the Board's mind with
PACSAT coming up after Phase 3C and Phase 4 looming large on the horizon.
The minutes of the meeting will be available as soon as the Secretary to the
Board finalizes them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
4. Motorola Donates Complex DSP Package
Steve Sagerian, KA0YRE of Motorola (at least partially responsible for the
68000 board network controller that CAPRA has done) has really come through
for the joint AMSAT-TAPR Digital Signal Processing (DSP) project. He arranged
for the DSP operations branch of Motorola to come up with two 56001 EXP kits.
This kit comes with bare boards, boot ROMs (a debugger, monitor), PAL's, and
several manuals. Just to get things rolling in a hurry Motorola decided to be
very generous and throw in two DSP56001 chips. This board has a 20.48 MHz
clock and processes 10.25 million instruction per second. Using the
architecture to its fullest one could do a 1024 point Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT) in 3.48 ms.
Steve and Bob McGwier, N4HY, will be building these two units up. They expect
further support from Motorola as they get applications back from AMSAT/TAPR.
AMSAT expresses it thanks Motorola, Inc. for its generous support in the form
of several thousand dollars worth of hardware and software!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
5. Board Reviews Dues Structure; New Rates Reflect Postal Increase
AMSAT Headquarters announces that a member dues increase will go into effect
May 4. Effective May 4th, the new rates are:
U.S. Domestic members: $30
Canada and Mexico: $36
Other foreign: $45
In accord with the Bylaws, a member dues change comprises a Bylaws change.
Consequently, the dues change shall be effective thirty days after publication
unless 10 % of the voting members object in writing. If so, then a general
membership vote will be held by mail.
The dues increase was made necessary by increased production and especially
postal costs. The Board has directed a 25% reduction in the cost of ASR and
has asked the president to provide members a view as to how dues are spent.
(Currently ASR consumes more than 25% of the AMSAT annual budget, i.e., costs
more than $50,000 per year.) The Board meeting held March 12 and 13 approved
the dues changes. The last due increase was in April 1983.
Beginning May 1, all overseas annual members will receive ASR directly from
AMSAT via Air Mail. Previously, re-mailers had helped in distribution by
re-mailing from their locale. However, the additional delays incurred and
complaints from members concerning the re-mailing process has resulted in the
change in overseas mailing method and rates. Overseas Life Members may opt to
have their ASR sent by Air Mail by remitting the additional postage costs.
Otherwise ASR will be mailed sea mail to overseas Life Members.
Annual members should renew early to beat the dues increase. You may renew
for several years in advance.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
6. Short Bursts
Dave Medley, KI6QE will be handling the AMSAT 75 Pacific Coast net according
to Regional Coordinator Ross Forbes, WB6GFJ.
***
Rumors suggest the launch of the Russian space shuttle is imminent.
***
The USSR has launched and Indian Remote Sensing satellite according to Max
White at the Royal Greenwich observatory. The IRS payload was launched March
17 at 0600 southbound from Tyuratam in the USSR. It will be handed over by the
Russians for use at the end of the month. The launcher was the SL3 Vostok.
Imagery is on S and X band, but RGO believes that a beacon may exist on known
Indian frequencies in the 137 MHz band and a search of this region may prove
fruitful. The weight of the payload is 950 kg
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