Japanese institute launches Cute-1.7 Amateur Radio satellite
The Tokyo Institute of Technology's Laboratory for Space Systems has launched a new digipeating satellite.
Dubbed Cute-1.7 + APD, the satellite--a successor to the Cute-1 nano-satellite--was launched on
February 21, and ARRL members Bruce Snyder, KG4YEV, and Bill Ress, N6GHZ, reported the first signals
over the US. The satellite's Mode L/U "Cute digipeater" will be activated following testing, but the telemetry
may be heard on the 437.505 MHz downlink (9k6 GMSK packet), and there's a CW beacon on 437.385 MHz.
The uplink frequency will be 1268.5 MHz. The satellite's call sign is JQ1YCC. The APD mission is a
charged-particle detector demonstration. An onboard camera will take and download pictures of Earth on
its Amateur Radio telemetry downlink as JPEG images. Additional information on Amateur Radio use of the
Cute-1 + APD satellite is available on the Laboratory for Space Systems Web site, which also explains how
to hear Cute-1.7. Address questions via e-mail.--some information from Bruce Paige, KK5DO
3Y0X DXpedition logs more than 87,000 contacts
This month's 3Y0X DXpedition to Peter I Island managed to put 87,034 contacts into its
logbook during two weeks of operation before it shut down February 19 at 1813 UTC. The
lucky last contact was with K8LTG. The 3Y0X DXpedition surpassed the 82,000 QSOs achieved
by A52A (Bhutan), but it fell a bit short of the 96,000 contacts logged by K1B (Baker Island).
The 22-member 3Y0X team, headed by led by Ralph Fedor, K0IR, and Bob Allphin, K4UEE, now is
safely aboard its ship, the DAP Mares and plans a stop in the South Shetlands on the way home.
Because of its remote location in the Bellinghausen Sea near Antarctica and the severe weather
conditions, Peter I has been activated but rarely and remains one of the most-wanted DXCC entities.
For additional information, visit the Peter I DXpedition
Yet another DX record claimed on 134 GHz
Inveterate microwave enthusiast Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, says he's once again topped his own claimed
world DX record on the 134-GHz band. On February 26, Justin, operating as WA1ZMS/4 in EM96ur, and
Pete Lascell, W4WWQ, in FM07fm--both in Virginia--exchanged reports on FSK-CW (copied by ear) over
a distance of 114.4 km (approximately 70.9 miles). That beats his previous world DX record of 79.6 km
(approximately 49.35 miles) set in December. "What was likely to be the last cold weather front of this
winter season passed through the mid-Atlantic region of the US," Justin said, "and so we thought we
would take advantage of it and try for better DX than our former record of 79 km." He believes the pair
could have spanned a considerably longer distance because of the extremely low humidity--25 percent or
less on both ends of the contact--and consequent low\ atmospheric losses. "We had several dB of signal
margin on both ends of the QSO but didn't have any more distant sites to take easy advantage of it at the
time," Justin observed. "It has been a rather warm winter here in the eastern US, and if 'global warming'
doesn't limit our future plans, we hope to be back next fall with even more 134 GHz DX!"
Europe's HAM RADIO 2006 set for June 23-25
The popular HAM RADIO 2006 hamfest takes place Friday through Sunday, June 23-25 in Friedrichshafen,
Germany, on the shore of Lake Constance (die Bodensee). The 31st International Amateur Radio Exhibition
HAM RADIO 2006 will be combined with the 57th Bodensee Convention organized by the Deutscher
Amateur Radio Club (DARC), the event's major patron. The theme of HAM RADIO 2006 is "Young people
and Amateur Radio," and the event will feature many related activities.
Next BRATS Meeting
Note New TIME! 7:15 PM
Tuesday, April 11,
Pikesville Library
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