President’s Report

By Mike Swiatkowski, AA9VI

Well, we had a pretty good weekend at the UTARC VE session on this past Saturday. We were able to sign 3 CSCEs and award 2 new Technician licenses and 1 new General license. We plan to continue offering VE sessions every month via the ARRL VEC. I hope you all will take advantage of the opportunities that this new VE team is offering to you. It’s a great time to upgrade! HINT! HINT!

Also, I think we are starting to get things in order regarding other important matters. We are still looking for a another room on campus to house our equipment. Dan and I will meet with the space allocations person on Monday to discuss our options. A week ago, many UTARC members ventured all over campus to find a new room only to hear “Space is very limited on campus.” So, if you know of anyone who can help find us a room, preferably near the top of a flat roofed building, please send your suggestions to the club email list, [email protected].

AO-40 (Phase 3) Update

From the ARRL Letter Vol 20 No. 3

The latest information from the AO-40 recovery effort suggests that the satellite might have suffered antenna system damage when it went silent last December 13. The satellite stopped transmitting while ground controllers were testing the 400-newton propulsion system aboard AO-40. Since the satellite's computer was reset and telemetry resumed December 25, the AO-40 ground team has been analyzing telemetry sent via the 2.4 GHz beacon--the only transmitter now operating. AMSAT-DL Vice President and AO-40 team member Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, said this week that efforts to restart the 2-meter transmitter were unsuccessful. The satellite was sending telemetry via the 2-meter transmitter when it went quit transmitting last month. Guelzow said telemetry seemed to indicate that the VHF transmitter was working during the test, but no signal was heard. Additional tests are scheduled Guelzow reiterated this week that while the 2-meter, 70 cm and 1.2 GHz receivers are working on the high-gain antennas, none of them will receive signals using the omnidirectional antennas. "Either the omni antennas are damaged or the cabling or the antenna relays," Guelzow concluded. The satellite's 70-cm transmitter--problematic since launch--will be tested on both the high-gain and omnidirectional antennas once the spacecraft's spin rate has been reduced and AO-40's heat-dissipation mechanism--the so-called "heat pipes--start working

again. Guelzow said that AO-40's attitude control system is fully functional--something that would be critical to keeping the satellite in orbit on a long-term basis. Guelzow explained that because the sun angle is now about 60 degrees, the sun sensor's electronics are temporarily disabled. "Without sun and attitude information, no magnetorquing can be performed, thus no further attitude or spin change was done," he said. AO-40 team leader Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, is developing a software fix that does not rely on data from the sun sensor. Guelzow expressed the hope that once the sun angle and antenna-pointing capabilities have been established, the ground crews will have a better chance to check out the status of the 2 meter and 70 cm transmitters through "better-controlled and suitable experiments." He indicated that AO-40's arcjet thrusters and the reaction wheels also will undergo testing as soon as possible. Meinzer recently expressed confidence that, despite its problems, AO-40 will be functional in the future--although its mission likely will be different from the one planned prior to launch. AMSAT-UK's Richard Limebear, G3RWL, has suggested that AO-40 could at least be used for "some kind of 400 baud PSK digital communication" via one of the onboard computers. Limebear said that if the IF matrix is functional, then, SSB or CW via a linear transponder would be possible. "If AO-40 reaches such a state, we will get as much or more than AO-10 and AO-13 offered, only on more state-of-the-art frequencies," he concluded.

UTARC: A Chance To Connect

By Arun Srikantaiah

Joining the UT amateur radio club gave me chance to do something which I wanted to do all my life: Become a HAM. Though still in its infancy the club has, in a short period of time, managed to create an awareness among the university public about this wonderful and technologically advanced hobby.

Being a foreign student at UT, joining the club has given me ample opportunity in getting to know the various aspects of life in Tennessee and the U.S. along with learning the various skills necessary to obtain my first license (which I hope to do soon!!!!!!!!). I also realized that being a HAM had more to it that sitting in front of a radio and blabbering codes it could be a lot of fun too. Fox hunts and community events are as much part of Amateur radio as making contacts. Being the secretary of the club has given me an insight into the functioning of the club and problems associated with it.

As with all clubs UTARC too is facing myriad problems concerning space (or lack of it!!),

equipment and funds but with the kind of enthusiasm typical of radio jocks I'm sure we'll get through all of them and come out with flying colors.

The club itself wouldn’t have existed but for patience and hard work put in by the president , Mike

Swiatkowski and Vice President, Dan Bowen who overcame tremendous odds to restart the club (which had disappeared into oblivion!!).

So, all you people out there: if you are not in the UTARC you are missing something.

For Sale

Do you have a few items you want to sell? If so, you can advertise them free of charge! Email the editor with a small list of items you are selling. Be sure to include your contact information and asking price for each item.

Ham Radio in Space: 2nd ISS to School contact succeeds

From Amateur Radio Newsline Edition #1222

The Mir may soon be on its way to a fiery and watery grave, but ham radio is fast becoming a way of life on Space Station Alpha. Now comes word of the second successful contact between the ham radio crew on the ISS and a school here on Earth. Students at the Armstrong Fundamental Elementary School in Hampton, Virginia got to talk with station commander Bill Shepherd KD5GSL on January 5th. The ARRL's Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, has the rest of the story: During the contact, about 10 students posed questions to Shepherd, who identified using the special NA1SS callsign. On the ground and using the Virginia Air and Space Center's KA4ZXW callsign, control operator Wally Carter, K4OGT, finally linked up with Shepherd about four minutes into the scheduled 10 minute pass. Signals were somewhat noisy but readable. Students seemed fascinated with the effects of launch and space flight. Being launched from Earth into space felt like "someone standing on your chest," Shepherd told Mandy, the first questioner. But after about eight minutes or so, he said, you become weightless and can go anywhere you want. Shepherd told another questioner, who asked if he'd gotten dizzy or sick during launch that being weightless was "a very nice experience."

Callsign Updates

Are you expecting a new license or a callsign update? If so, here are a few handy callsign servers on the web:

http://wtbwww05.fcc.gov/default.sph/UlsQueryLic.exe

enter callsign and choose HA for license class

http://www.qrz.com

http://callsign.ualr.edu/callsign.shtml

Calendar

Thurs. Jan. 25^th – UTARC General Meeting 8pm UT University Center room 217

Sat. Feb 3^rd- Basketball game vs. Vanderbilt get-together 7pm

Thurs. Feb. 8^th – UTARC General Meeting 8pm UT University Center room 217

Sat. and Sun. Feb 10-11^th- Tennessee State Convention and Hamfest in Memphis at the Shelby building - Mid-South Fairgrounds. For more info visit www.dixiefest.org

Sat. Feb. 17^th – Amatuer Radio Testing 9am Place TBA on the UTARC list

Thurs. Feb 22^nd – UTARC General Meeting 8pm University Center room 217

Ham Radio Awards (not sponsered by AC6V)

By AC6V

WAN -- Worked All Neighbors
WAS -- Worked All Streets (and u thought it was States)
RAGD -- Raised All Garage Doors
WAOO -- Worked All Official Observers
BERC -- Bought Expensive Radio Cheap (TS-950SDX at $300.00???)
QRP -- ESP QSO With A W6
5WAN -- Five Band Worked All Neighbors (easy one)
TOR -- Timed Out Repeater
TOP -- Timed Out Propagation
BAL -- Bored All listeners
TORA -- Timed Out Repeater Again
WANA -- Worked All Neighbors Again
WACO -- Worked All Club Officers
WAL - Worked all lists (poor mans DXCC)
TACD -- Tested all Commercial Devices (Dirty Linear):
Worked the Phone, TV, All Audio Devices, Door Bells,
Burglar Alarms, Paper Shredder, Garage Doors,
Cell Phones et al.

TAC -- Terrorized All Critters (Same Dirty Linear)
On Key up: Dogs Howl, Birds Go Goofy,
Cat scurries under Couch
and all rodents leave the premises!!!!

WAS & WAC -- Chicago Style -- In the late 60's, the Six Meter Club of Chicago used to have unofficial awards WAC and WAS:
Worked All Chicago and Worked All Suburbs -- N7DKH (ex WA9SSR)

____________________________________

BE SURE YOU ARE SUBSCRIBED TO THE CLUB EMAIL

LIST!!! Go to our members link on the UTARC webpage and subscribe yourself ASAP if you haven’t already.

The Volunteer DX is the official newsletter of the Amateur Radio Club at the University of Tennessee and is published 5 times or more each academic semester. The newsletter is free to all UTARC club members.

UTARC Officers 2000-2001 Academic Year

President – Mike Swiatkowski, AA9VI 637-8707

VP/Treasurer- Dan Bowen, KB2UVE 595-6879

Secretary- Arun Srikantaiah, callsign to be issued

Newsletter Editor: Mike Swiatkowski, [email protected]

Club Monitored Frequencies: 145.43 MHz Knoxville repeater and 146.58 simplex

Webpage: web.utk.edu/~utarc Email:[email protected]

QSL Correspondence:

Amateur Radio Club of UT/W4EAL

Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept.

University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN 37996-2100