A working prototype of OSCAR 1, Amateur Radio’s first satellite, will be on display at AMSAT’s Dayton Hamvention® booth. AMSAT’s exhibit will be in Building 1 (Maxim Hall) at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. OSCAR 1 (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) was launched into orbit in 1961, at the dawn of the Space Age. Built by a group of California-based radio amateurs for about $60, OSCAR 1 was the first nongovernmental satellite. It transmitted a simple “HI” in CW for nearly 20 days and was heard in 28 different countries. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, recently had to troubleshoot a problem with ARRL’s OSCAR 1 in preparation for its Dayton appearance in a special “OSCAR Park” display commemorating AMSAT’s 50th anniversary. He said it was a “rather humbling” experience.
“Apparently, OSCAR 1 was not transmitting properly,” Carcia said. “So, I took it back into the shop, changed the power cable, and checked the transmitter. I had to tweak it just a bit.” Carcia said the satellite now functions.
Only three OSCAR 1 satellites were made. One was launched into orbit, of course, while the Smithsonian Institution houses the other. “Assuming it doesn’t get bounced around too much en route, it will be transmitting a chirpy ‘HI’ on 145.224 MHz,” Carcia said. “The load is a 50 W resistor, so you can copy it about 50 feet or so away from the source.”
AMSAT will present Amateur Radio satellite operation demonstrations outside the main entrance of Maxim Hall, 8 AM – 4:30 PM, on all three days of Hamvention. “AMSAT will be demonstrating actual contacts with the operational amateur satellites,” AMSAT said in its weekly AMSAT News Service newsletter. “We especially want to invite youth to make a contact via an amateur satellite. All are invited to observe, participate and ask questions.”
AMSAT will hold its forum in Room 2 on Saturday, May 18, starting at 12:10 PM EDT. AMSAT Vice President of User Services Robert Bankston KE4AL, will moderate the session.
Source: ARRL
Antenna
500 mW on 7 MHz with the Wadetenna
Testing the Wadetenna on 7 MHz SSB. Only 500 milliwatts was used instead of the usual 5 watts. Contacts up to about 500km, mostly to portable stations... Read more
Buddipole vs AlexLoop Walkham
Buddipole vs AlexLoop Walkham “Tried to do the most objective analysis on a comparison between the Buddipole and a AlexLoop Walkham ante... Read more
Optibeam OB8-4M 8 Element 4 Band
The OB8-4M is an extremely effective, compact and innovative Yagi for the classical four bands 40, 20, 15 and 10m. It is the first trapless Yagi for t... Read more
Force 12 FPA-20-OCF Vertical running through 8 to 6 meters
Does your neighborhood forbid antennas but allow flagpoles? Is tearing up your lawn to lay 64 radials not an option? Or maybe you just want a high-per... Read more
Equipment
LA1K5 is a solid-state 1200 watts 1.8 – 54MHz power amplifier
The RFpower LA1K5 is a solid-state 1200 watts 1.8 – 54MHz power amplifier. It uses a ruggedness 1800 watts 65 V LDMOS technology NXP’s MRF... Read more
Diamond CX-210N
The Diamond CX-210N is a low loss, two position coaxial switch providing very low loss and high isolation. It is rated DC to 3000 MHz and can handle u... Read more
S24-Mini Solar Power for Ham´s
S24-Mini Solar Power Supply This tiny, lightweight solar power supply features an integrated 40WH LiFePO4 battery, and offers plug-and-play convenienc... Read more
TH-D74A KENWOOD D-STAR HT (144/220/430MHz) – Test Report
TH-D74A KENWOOD D-STAR HT (144/220/430MHz) KENWOOD D-STAR HT (144/220/430MHz) FCC Part15B(CSR) TEST REPORT FCC ID: K44440900 This device is certified;... Read more
VHF
Getting started on Ham Radio 2M FM BY K7AGE
In this series of Ham Radio videos, I’ll show you how to program a 2M HT to get on the air along with some of the basics of 2M FM operating.. In... Read more
Maidenhead Grid Square Locator System – Ham Radio Q&A
“You’ve seen these printed on QSO cards, but what do they mean. I’m talking about grid squares, a unique method of geolocation that is popular w... Read more
Two Repeaters One Antenna Feed Line
“We had an opportunity recently to provide a unique duplexer system. The customer needed a single antenna feed line for two repeaters. This solu... Read more
App - Mobile
What is Echolink? Ham Radio 2.0: Episode 56
Mark Goodrum, W5MHG, discusses Echolink for Ham Radio at the Duke City Hamfest Read more
Rfinder for Visually Impaired on Android
Rfinder Tom W3ZX, a visually impaired ham gives a great demo on Android using TalkBack for the visually impaired. See More: http://www.rfinder.net/blo... Read more
SatSat for IOS version 1.4.11 has been released
SatSat, by Fabrice Aneche is a satellite tracking software, for radio amateurs, scientists or hobbyists. It displays current and next passes for any s... Read more
RS-MS1A – Remote Control Android App
Ray Novak and George Thomas show you how to control the ID-51A with the RS-MS1A Android app. Read more