July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Radio operators applying for the ARRL Worked All States (WAS) award will now receive a handsome, newly-designed certificate, sure to be a nice attraction to the ham who enjoys chasing awards and displaying prizes in the shack. The WAS Award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit proof with written confirmation of having contacted each of the 50 states of the United States of America. The WAS Awards program includes 10 different awards and endorsements. Complete details, rules and applications for WAS can be found here on the ARRL Web site. Those who already hold a WAS award can get the new style certificate issued to them at a cost of $10. Contact ARRL Awards Manager, Eileen Sapko or 860-594-0288.

http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7525

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

A NASA engineer and amateur radio operator plans to give a presentation on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program at the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville, Alabama, which is held annually during the third full weekend in August. This year the event, to be held on August 18-19, will also host the American Radio Relay League National Convention. For more information, see: http://www.hamfest.org/

http://www.amsat.org/news

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Congratulations to Terry, G1WPR, for making his 2000th contact on AO7 Mode B on June 5, 2007. (K3SZH) The Techsat Ground Control Station, 4X6EM / 4Z7DFC, advises users of the GO-32 satellite that its BBS services went down on June 5, 2007 for software upgrade to version 9.87. The BBS content was lost. The Techsat team apologizes for the inconvenience. They hope it will take less than 10 days to complete this upgrade.

http://www.amsat.org/news

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

The space shuttle Atlantis launched Friday, June 8 at 2338 UTC. The STS-117 mission carries US astronaut Clay Anderson, KD5PLA, to the International Space Station to replace Suni Williams, KD5PLB. Anderson will join Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, and Flight Engineer Dr Oleg Kotov. Suni will be returning to Earth aboard the Atlantis after a six month stay on the ISS beginning last December. Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow and his six crewmates will spend 11 days in space and take part in three spacewalks. During this mission the ISS’s power capability will be increased in preparation for the arrival of new sciencemodules from the European and Japanese space agencies. [ANS thanks Lee, KU4OS, for the above information]

http://www.amsat.org/news

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

A new airfare booking site is targeting international U.S. travelers with promises of savings by tapping into inventory that its creators say hasn’t been available online before. Vayama.com, which launched last week, offers not only regular published fares but also its own negotiated fares and consolidator inventory. It’s backed by the Netherlands-based travel company BCD Holdings. “Domestic travel has been organized very well in the U.S. on sites like Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia. But not all international choices are online,” co-CEO Wim Butte says. The site accesses fares from 100-plus airlines flying from the USA to 191 countries and ferrets out unusual pairings — San Francisco to Sydney on Hawaiian Airlines and New York to London via Air India, for instance — that can mean savings.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-06-14-vayama-travel-website_n.htm

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

After a short break while the 70cm receiver traveled to Dayton, Juan, WA6HTP, has resumed testing of the firstprototype of Eagle’s 70cm receiver. Detailed information regarding the receiver design and testing can be found in Eaglepedia on the AMSAT web site. http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/eagle/EaglePedia/index.php/U-Band_Receiver

http://www.amsat.org/news

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

European planemaker Airbus said Tuesday it had received approval from European aviation authorities for an onboard mobile phone system. In a statement, Airbus said it was the first aircraft maker to win approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency for an on-board system for cellphones that use the European GSM technology. Passengers will be able to make and receive calls and send and receive e-mails and text messages once the system is in place, Airbus said. Cabin crew will be able to engage a “voice-off” mode which only allows SMS text messaging and e-mail services, Airbus noted. The service will first be available on Airbus’ single-aisle planes for short-haul flights in western Europe, following the granting of airworthiness certification. The service has already been tested by a couple of European airlines. “This certification is Airbus’ first response to the growing market demand for on-board connectivity,” Rainer von Borstel, Airbus senior vice president for cabin and cargo customization, said in the statement. “It paves the way for the subsequent worldwide deployment of cellphone services and Internet based services across all Airbus aircraft types,” he added. OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, an information-technology company serving airlines, will act as the service provider for a range of connectivity services. The announcement came as Airbus is pulling in plane orders at the Paris Air Show this week in a boost to the struggling planemaker and its parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. U.S. regulators ban cellphone use aboard planes because of potential interference with the aircraft’s electronics.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-06-19-airbus-cellphone-system_N.htm?csp=34

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Dallas/Fort Worth International will begin testing a retail concept familiar to Europeans and Asians but almost unknown in the USA: a mega vending machine with something for every kind of traveler. Shop24, a New Zealand company, will install its first airport unit on July 11 at DFW’s Terminal A near Gate 29. The 13-foot-wide “automated convenience store” will offer more than 200 items, including meals, phone cards, condoms, diapers, curling irons, coloring books, umbrellas and blood pressure monitors.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-06-10-check-in-fence_N.htm

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

After the thwarted terror plot at John F. Kennedy International earlier this month, officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey revealed details about an ongoing project to erect virtual fences around its four main airports: JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Teterboro. Designed by Raytheon and modeled after a fence around the Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, it’ll be equipped with sensors, video motion detectors, thermal imagers and closed-circuit television. It will transmit information to a central Port Authority police station and a command post at each airport. The project, begun in 2006, will cost $138 million and be completed next year.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-06-10-check-in-fence_N.htm

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July 3, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Fellow MS Bike Ride Amateur Radio Communications Support Volunteers,

On behalf of the Maryland Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the 2007 Wells Fargo MS Bike Ride committee, and the Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society, I want to express sincere thanks to all of the Amateur Radio Operators and Goldwings motorcyclists who came out to provide communications support for the 2007 MS Bike Ride. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the hams who traveled from the Baltimore area and the hams from the Salisbury area who worked together to make this a safe and uneventful two-day event. Thanks also to the Peninsula Radio Operators Society for the use of their repeater which provided excellent coverage over the three-county area of the Bike Ride.

Congratulations to Bill and Jill Self (Mr. & Mrs. KA3IDB), recipients of the MS Society’s 2007 Dr. Bob Bennett Volunteer of the Year Award for their 25 years of volunteer service with the MS bike events. I wish more hams would follow the example of Bill and Jill who exemplify what it means to be an Amateur Radio Public Service Volunteer.

A total of twenty (21) hams, including 2 ladies, participated in the operation. Eight (8) hams rode in the event. Ham volunteers came from several organizations including the Aero Amateur Radio Club, Baltimore Amateur Radio Club, Baltimore City RACES, Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society, Columbia Amateur Radio Association, Green Mountain Repeater Association, Harford County RACES, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Cycling Club, the Oriole Net, and Wicomico County RACES. The roster is:

Tom AA3SC - Net Control, Alan NG3B, Bill KA3IDB, Bob WA3SWA, Don K3DON, Ed N3CW, Ed N3GXH, Howard AA3WD, Jeremy K0RYX, Jim KB3JFG, Joel W3ZRW, Larry WB3DAJ, Matthew KB3NWM, Max AD3W, Sandy KB3KVB, Sarah KA3ZGT, Shane K2GZL, and Tom KA5MTZ

Please take some time to send me your comments, observations, or complaints about the communications support for the event.

On behalf of the MS Society and the BRATS,
Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,
Ian, N3CVA

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