Dhruva Space to launch two ‘Thybolt’ amateur radio communications satellites
Eight customer satellites are ridesharing along with the primary payload, Oceansat 3 on board ISRO’s PSLV-C54 mission launching on November 26. Two of the copassengers on board are Thybolt 1 and Thybolt 2, build by private Indian spaceflight company, Dhruva Space. The pair of Thybolt nanosatellites will be launched using the Dhruva Space Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD), which had earlier been demonstrated on the PSLV-C53 mission in June. In this launch the satellite platform will be qualified and validated, from a near circular, polar Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 511 kilometres. Amateur radio operators or ham enthusiasts can interact with the satellites through two transmitters and one receiver.
A number of ham radio clubs across India are supporting the Thybolt mission, including Star Fleet Amateur Radio Club, National Institute for Amateur Radio (NIAR), Indian Institute of Hams, Aniruddha’s Academy of Disaster Management, West Bengal Amateur Radio Club, Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management, and SSM College of Engineering.
There are lots of stories on this launch. Do an internet search for “Dhruva Space” if you want to read even more about this. For example, here’s a followup story, “Happy with Thybolt performance, Dhruva Space now aims for larger satellites“….Dan
Opening Communications: Young County Amateur Radio Club Recruiting
The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Young County Law Enforcement Center training room. The club invites all of those interested in amateur radio and provides testing for certification.
It’s not really newsworthy that the Young Country ARC is looking for members, but rather the way they’re doing it—via the newspaper. You can do something similar by issuing a press release. Contact your ARRL section’s Public Information Officer (PIO) for more information on how to do that. If your section doesn’t have a PIO, contact me, and I’ll help you……Dan
And, here’s another great way to promote your club……Dan
For Longmont Amateur Radio Club President Chuck Poch, the program is not only a fun event for the holidays but also an opportunity to promote amateur, or ham, radio.
“It’s a hobby that’s still around,” Poch said. “It’s a very viable form of communication, but a lot of the younger generation isn’t getting involved. So when a child gets to talk to Santa, it gives them that hope and belief … and gets them involved in the hobby.”
Santa on the Air puts Santa — Longmont’s own John Chilson — on ham radio and gives kids the chance to call in and tell him what they want for Christmas. Callers must go through a ham radio operator, which Poch admitted can be a barrier. Poch has a long list of licensed operators, however, and said he is happy to get them in touch with interested callers.