Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Feb 21 2020 06:02:56

AMSAT'S OSCAR 85 REACHES END OF ITS MISSION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Goodbye AMSAT-OSCAR 85. While satellite optimists still
believe its life may not be over completely, AMSAT reports that it
believes AO-85's batteries have deteriorated, and can no longer power
its transmitter. According to Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA (pronounced:
Kay Oh 4 Em Ay), AMSAT's vice president for operations, the first AMSAT
cubesat is officially at the end of its mission. He noted: [quote]
"Should some future event cause a cell to open, it is possible the
satellite may be heard again."

(AMSAT)

**

THIS BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS A MAINE EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The celebration in Maine is not even a month away, but
marking a bicentennial takes time, as we hear from Jim Damron, N8TMW.

JIM D: The Wireless Society of Southern Maine and two hams from the
PenBay Amateur Radio Club, have put together an event, that gives
special recognition to the state's original 9 counties. It's a
bicentennial celebration, that runs from March 16th to March 22nd.

Special stations will also be on the air for the town of Portland as
K1P, Jameson Tavern in Freeport as K1,J and the nearby city of Boston
as K1B - all recognizing contributions each locale had made to Maine's
statehood. Maine had been a province of Massachusetts until 1819, when
legislators in Massachusetts granted Maine its statehood, which became
official in 1820.

Stations will operate on HF, 6m, 2m, and 70cm, using CW, SSB, and the
Digital modes. Certificates will be awarded for operators, as well as
chasers.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

**

COLLEGE RADIO CLUB MARKS CENTENNIAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Who's 100 years old this year, and still popular on
a college campus? Andy Morrison, K9AWM, tells us.

ANDY: Congratulations, and happy 100th birthday, to W5YD. That's the
call sign for the Mississippi State University Amateur Radio Club.
The club received a permit with the call sign 5YD from the U.S.
Department of Commerce in 1920. The "W" was added later by the federal
government, when it brought all U.S. radio stations into compliance
with agreements on station identification around the world.

That history makes W5YD one of the oldest, continuously active ham
radio clubs in the United States.

There's another call sign that's carries significance in this club's
history. It's W5EPW, and it once belonged to school alumnus William
P. Gearhiser. Before becoming a Silent Key in 2004, at the age of 93,
he had been a licensed ham for more than 75 years, and was at one time,
the faculty sponsor for the club. As a tribute to him for helping make
club what it is today, club members designated their on-campus meeting
room the W.P. Gearhiser Ham Radio Club Room. That honor came just a
year before his death.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY)

**

PROGRESS FOR STUDENT-BUILT SATELLITE IN ARIZONA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A student satellite project in Arizona is about to
benefit from a half-million dollars' worth of support, in a newly
inked contract. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, has details.

NEIL: An inflatable high-gain satellite antenna project, built by
students at the University of Arizona, is moving forward toward its
launch next year. The ultra-lightweight antenna is actually for a
nano-satellite known as CatSat, and is based on work done at the
university. It was developed by FreeFall Aerospace, a company founded
in Tucson, Arizona, as a spinoff from the university.

The university recently signed a contract worth an estimated $465,000,
with the North American subsidiary of GomSpace Group AB, for support
and satellite elements in connection with the project. The payload
will also include a compact Software Defined Radio from Rincon
Research. Known as an AstroSDR, it will establish a high-bandwidth
telecom link with the Earth, and perform high-rate signal, and HD
image-processing.

The mission was chosen last year by NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative
for launch in early 2021. According to the NASA website, the mission
will include deployment of a whip antenna, to measure the Earth's
ionosphere.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(SPACEWATCH.GLOBAL, NASA)
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