[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1275 - January 18 2002

[Tim Miller]

The following is a Q-S-T.  A new ham antenna on the I-S-S and a new 
microwave record down-under are first on Amateur Radio Newsline report 
number 1275 coming your way right now!
 
**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  NEW ANTENNAS INSTALLED ON THE ISS

An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut ventured into space on  
Monday January 14th to move a construction crane and install a new set 
of ham radio antennas on the International Space Station.  Roy Neal, 
K6DUE, has the details.

--

THERE IT WAS, ON NASA TELEVISION, TWO WHITE SPACE SUITED CHARACTERS, 
DWARFED BY THE IMMENSITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.  FOR  THE 
32ND TIME ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS WERE OUTSIDE THE HUGE SPACECRAFT TO 
ASSEMBLE HARDWARE.

THEIR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO MOVE A BIG CARGO CRANE FROM ITS TEMPORARY 
BERTH ON THE UNITED STATES SIDE OF THE ORBITING OUTPOST TO A PERMANENT 
LOCATION OUTSIDE THE DOCKING COMPARTMENT OF THE RUSSIAN CONTROL MODULE.

THAT ACCOMPLISHED, THEY WENT ON TO UNFURL A HAM RADIO ANTENNA.  
ASTRONAUT CARL WALTZ, KC5TIE AND COSMONAUT YURI ONUFRIENKO, RK3DUO, 
DEPLOYED THE RIBBON OF TAPE THAT SOON WILL BE IN USE ON A HAM RADIO 
STATION IN THE SERVICE MODULE,. WHERE THE CREWS LIVE AND SLEEP.  A 
SECOND STATION HAS BEEN IN SERVICE FOR SOME TIME INSIDE THE SO CALLED 
FUNCTIONAL CARGO BLOCK, ANOTHER SECTION OF THE I S S.

FRANK BAUER, KA3HDO, THE CHAIRMAN OF ARISS, THE GROUP THAT IS 
RESPONSIBLE FOR AMATEUR RADIO ON THE SPACE STATION, CONGRATULATED THE 
INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF LICENSED HAMS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION TO  
MONTHS OF  HARD WORK.

ON JANUARY 25th ONUFRIENKO IS SCHEDULED TO GO OUTSIDE AGAIN, WITH FLIGHT 
ENGINEER DAN BURSCH, KD5PNU, TO INSTALL 3 MORE HAM RADIO ANTENNAS 
OUTSIDE THE MODULE THEY CALL ZVEZDA, THE CREW COMPARTMENT THAT'S THE 
SIZE OF A PASSENGER BUS HERE ON EARTH.

HAM RADIO IS GROWING RAPIDLY IN SPACE, ALONG WITH THE INTERNATIONAL 
STATION ON WHICH IT'S INSTALLED.

FOR THE AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, ROY NEAL, K6DUE

--

The Expedition 4 crew will remain on board the ISS until May.  And 
according to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, another important task is to bring the 
automatic packet system back on line.  He says that ground technicians 
are working with the astronauts and cosmonaut on that project and that 
task will continue as crew time permits.  (ARNewsline from information 
provided by ARISS, NASA.)

**

HAM RADIO RECORDS:  24 GHZ DOWN-UNDER

A new distance record is set on a band where even commercial interests 
are only now starting to tread.  And its a group of Australian hams who 
have set it.  Q-News Graham Kemp, VK4BB,  has the details:

--

A new Queensland distance record on 24.048.1 GHz USB was established 
morning of Tuesday 08 January over a 72.8 Km path.  Location 1 was at 
Wellington Point, with VK3ZQB and VK4ZHL portable.   Location 2 was at 
Caloundra, with VK3XPD and VK5DK portable operating.

 Signals strengths up to 5x5 after initial optimization with typical 
daytime QSB. The visiting team are continuing with local propagation 
experiments.  The challenges of building and operating microwave amateur 
radio equipment are wonderfully rewarding in many ways!