December, 2006

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NASA Schedules First Live HDTV Broadcast From Space
NASA makes history next week with the first live broadcasts from space in High Definition television (HDTV). NASA, in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Discovery HD Theater and Japanese broadcast network NHK will produce the broadcasts on Nov. 15. Two live HDTV broadcasts will feature Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria on the International Space Station, with Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter serving as camera operator aboard the 220-mile-high laboratory. The broadcasts will be carried by Discovery HD Theater and NHK. Discovery HD Theater will carry the special broadcast live at 10:30 a.m. CST and will be shown at Discovery Channel stores. "HDTV provides up to six times the resolution of regular analog video," said Rodney Grubbs, NASA principal investigator. "On previous missions, we've flown HDTV cameras but had to wait until after the mission to retrieve the tapes, watch the video and share it with the science and engineering community, the media and the public. For the first time ever, this test lets us stream live HDTV from space so the public can experience what its like to be there." Known as the Space Video Gateway, the system transmits high bandwidth digital television signals to the ground that are not only spectacular, but also valuable to scientists, engineers and managers. NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, along with both NHK and Discovery, are cooperating in this effort though a Space Act Agreement originally signed in 2002. The equipment to record and downlink HDTV signals was delivered to the station by the Space Shuttle Atlantis crew in September. It includes a commercially manufactured camcorder, viewfinder, lenses and power cables, an HDTV signal decoder, processor and hard drive, and power and data cables. For more information about the International Space Station and the Expedition 14 crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

VE EXAMS BARC VE EXAMS At 12360 Owings Mills Blvd, Owings Mills. Sat., Dec. 2, 2006 Sunday, January 7, 2007 Sat. Feb. 3; Sat., March 3 Sunday April 1 at Timonium Sunday, May 6; Sat. June 2 Sunday, July 1; Sat. Aug. 4 Sat. Sept. 1; Sunday, Oct.7 Sat. Nov. 3; Sat. Dec. 1 Registration begins at 1:30 PM Exams begin at 2. No one admitted after exams begin! Contact: Rusty, N3WKE; N3wke@arrl.net AERO VE EXAMS $14 Fee, (ARRL VEC) January 27, 2007; March 24; May 19; July 21; September, 29; November 17 -- White Marsh Library, 8133 Sandpiper Circle, White Marsh, Md. 21236 Register at 1 PM, exams begin at 1:30 PM Pat, AC3F, ac3f@juno.com, 410-687-7209 Other Club Exams 2nd Saturday, 1 PM, Davidsonville, by AARC. Register 12 noon. Bob, AA3RR, 410-437-8193 3rd Saturday, 9 AM, Laurel, by LARC, 384 Main St. John Creel, WB3GXW, 301-572-5124. 4th Tuesday, 6 PM, Linthicum. At Historical Electronics Museum. Harold, WB4OGP, 410-757-0493(h); 410-712-6829(w)		FIELD DAY RESULTS The field day results are on the ARRL site now. We did Pretty darn good again this year. Total points was 3388. This was high enough to give us the Following rankings.... All Field Day entries; 479/2184 All 3A entries; 79/279 All Atlantic Division; 45/210 All MDC section; 10/36 All 3A entries in MDC; 2/5 "73", Bob WA3SWA ARRL 500 kHz Experiment The group of Amateur Radio operators researching the radio spectrum in the vicinity of 500 kHz already have recorded a few successes. The 500 KC Experimental Group for Amateur Radio is operating under Part 5 experimental license WD2XSH, which the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology granted September 13 to the ARRL. Project manager Fritz Raab, W1FR, says WD2XSH participants have been heard across both the Atlantic and the Pacific as well as all around the US. Don't Forget the BRATS Holiday Party Tuesday, December 19, 7:15 PM at the Randallstown Library, 8604 Liberty Rd