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ZL2VAL > SAT 18.01.04 01:19l 59 Lines 2562 Bytes #999 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS-018.01
Read: DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: Auction of AO40 sculpture
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<ZL2TZE<ZL2AB
Sent: 040118/0008Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:33552 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g $:ANS-018
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : SAT@AMSAT
Auction of AO-40 Sculpture to Help Fund AMSAT ECHO Satellite Launch
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 018.01 From AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD. January 18, 2004
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-018.01
The bidding begins January 21 on a handsome original sculpture of the
AO-40 satellite as AMSAT-NA auctions off the work of art on
eBay to help fund the AMSAT-OSCAR ECHO (AO-ECHO) satellite launch
campaign. The auction will run for 10 days, and the winning bid
will be recognized as a donation to the launch campaign.
"This bronze is one of only four pieces, created by long time AMSAT
member Floyd Thorn, N5SVP, now a Silent Key," said AMSAT
Marketing Manager Jim Jarvis, N2EA. "It has been donated to AMSAT by
his family to support the AO-ECHO launch campaign."
Jarvis said the sculpture measures 11x4 inches and weighs just over a
pound. The wooden base bears a brass plaque with the
sculptor's name and call sign. Visit the AMSAT-NA Web site for details
and to link to the auction.
A physicist, Floyd Thorn had a variety of interests that included
astronomy, space communications, Amateur Radio and jewelry making.
A long-time member of AMSAT-NA, Thorn flew F4Fs and PBYs during World
War II and later developed a business that provided cathodic
protection systems to the petroleum industry.
The new microsat-class satellite is now undergoing integration and
testing at SpaceQuest in Fairfax, Virginia. Among its other
capabilities, AO-ECHO will enable satellite voice communication using
handheld FM transceivers.
The satellite will incorporate two UHF transmitters, each running from
1 to 8 W and capable of simultaneous operation, four VHF
receivers and a multiband, multimode receiver capable of operation on
the 10 meter, 2 meter, 70 cm and 23 cm bands. ECHO will
feature V/U, L/S and HF/U operational configurations, with V/S, L/U and
HF/S also possible. FM voice and various digital
modes--including PSK31 on a 10-meter SSB uplink--also will be
available.
The AO-ECHO fund currently stands at nearly $49,000. AMSAT-NA says it
will need $110,000 for the launch--currently scheduled for
March 31, although the launch window remains open until May. A Russian
Dnepr LV rocket--a converted SS-18 intercontinental ballistic
missile--will carry the approximately 10-inch-square satellite into a
low-Earth orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Visit the AMSAT AO-ECHO Web page for additional details.
(http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/echo/index.html)
[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]
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