Queen Shown Radio Ham’s Raspberry Pi Balloon Payload

More than 350 of the UK’s most successful and most promising technologists were invited to Buckingham Palace by the Queen and the Duke of York for Tech at the Palace event, held in early June 2014.

Among the exhibits, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was shown the Raspberry Pi High Altitude Balloon payload developed by licensed UK Amateur Radio operator David Akerman M6RPI (now M0RPI) which transmitted Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) signals on 434 MHz from the first “Pi in the Sky“ in 2012.

Her Majesty also saw the TARDIS that was flown by David and Anthony Stirk M0UPU.

Giant leap for radio amateur's Pi-powered teddy bear - http://amsat-uk.org/2013/08/26/giant-leap-for-radio-hams-pi-powered-teddy-bear/

M6RPI Balloon PIE1 – Raspberry Pi Sends Live Images from Near Space - http://amsat-uk.org/2012/07/17/pie1-raspberry-pi-sends-live-images-from-near-space/

Dave Akerman M0RPI - http://www.daveakerman.com/

ITAR restrictions on US radio amateurs to be eased

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) inexplicably applies to amateur radio satellites. It threatens US radio hams with jail terms or six figure fines if they cooperate with amateurs outside the USA on satellite projects. Cooperation includes talking about or publishing on the web certain information regarding amateur radio satellite systems.

After 15 years of restrictions and intense scrutiny, the United States Department of State is reclassifying satellites and several related components so they will no longer be treated as weapons. The changes affect Category 15 of the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which covers spacecraft and related articles, by shifting most commercial, civil and scientific satellites and accompanying equipment to the Department of Commerce’s Commerce Control List (CCL).

“The Department [of State] has committed to reviewing during the six months after the publication of this rule whether further amendments to the USML controls on civil and commercial remote sensing satellites are warranted, and seeks additional public comment on this matter,” according to a statement released by the Federal Register.

This rule is effective 10th November 2014, except for Sec. 121.1, Category XV(d), which is effective June 27, 2014. Interested parties may submit comments on paragraphs (a)(7) and (e)(11) of USML Category XV and ITAR Sec. 124.15 by June 27, 2014.

Read the full article - http://www.satellitetoday.com/regional/2014/05/16/new-us-satellite-export-reforms-gets-positive-response-from-industry/

Federal Register – Amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Revision of U.S. Munitions List Category XV - https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/05/13/2014-10806/amendment-to-the-international-traffic-in-arms-regulations-revision-of-us-munitions-list-category-xv

Among the projects affected by ITAR has been the New Zealand Amateur Radio satellite KiwiSAT. A 2009 IARU Region 3 report highlights that ITAR requirements made AMSAT-NA direct its members to cease cooperation with AMSAT-ZL in the development of KiwiSAT - http://www.iaru-r3.org/14r3c/docs/046.doc

2005 amateur radio P3E IHU project killed by ITAR  - http://www.amsat-dl.org/p3e/bericht-ihu3-0205-e.pdf

ITAR impact on the Eagle project - https://web.archive.org/web/20140327205527/ or http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/eagle/

AMSAT-UK - http://amsat-uk.org/

BBC: 'Pocket spacecrafts' to become a reality

BBC Radio 4 Today show has featured an item on the recently launched 437 MHz Sprite satellites and the new Pocket Spacecraft being developed by a UK radio amateur

The tiny Sprite satellites, measuring 3x3cm and just a few millimetres thick, contain a 437 MHz transmitter, solar cell, sensor and antenna.

The CubeSat KickSat-1 carrying 104 Sprites was successfully launched on April 18, however, a suspected radiation glitch meant they could not be deployed before the CubeSat burnt up on re-entry on 14 May 2014.

UK radio amateur Michael Johnson M0MJJ has developed Pocket Spacecraft known as ‘Scouts’. A ‘Scout’ is a wafer thin disk with flexible electronics, smaller than a CD, containing a transceiver, antenna and solar cells. It is hoped to carry them in a CubeSat which would deploy them in Lunar orbit. It is understood that frequencies in the 435 MHz and 2400 MHz bands may be used.

Listen to the BBC Radio 4 clip ‘Pocket spacecrafts’ to become a reality in which BBC Click’s Spencer Kelly discusses the development of pocket spacecrafts - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01z4q22

KickSat-1 launch - http://amsat-uk.org/2014/04/18/successful-launch-of-kicksat-carrying-104-sprite-satellites/

British Interplanetary Society: Sprite Technical Summary - http://www.bis-space.com/2013/03/09/9301/kicksat-technical-summary

UK radio amateur plans Lunar Pocket Spacecraft - http://amsat-uk.org/2013/08/26/uk-radio-hams-lunar-cubesat-to-go-ahead/

Pocket Spacecraft - http://pocketspacecraft.com/