M0JDB

J de B Pollard, M0JDB
Windy Arbour
Kenilworth, CV8 2BB
Maidenhead Locator IO92FI
..alternatively
51.3 degrees North 1.7 degrees West

please email me at:

M0JDB

Stop Press 22nd October News: spacecraft over Warwick: Budbrooke School satellite communications.....

Link to download of off-air sound recording courtesy of G8XDL / G0FBY

NOTE: this series of transmissions was one of a number of 'dummy run/ dress rehearsals'.During the actual contact only one side of the contact can be heard as the 'uplink' and 'downlink' frequencies are different.

For non-broadband users caution! ...file size 4.5 Megabytes......file size 4.5 Megabytes......

On Friday 17th October at 1205hrs BST Budbrooke School near Warwick achieved a rare distinction.

With the help of the RSGB and AMSAT-UK they organised one of six ARISS contacts that Richard Garriott - son of the the 1970's NASA scientist Astronaut - made with schools during his stay on board the International Space Station. This was part of the Soyuz TMA-13 mission to the International Space Station

This local school was indeed the only one to organise contact in the whole of Europe - all the others were in the US and Asia.

The questions you can hear being asked by the Budbrooke School children on the recording of a dress rehearsal were:

How did it feel when the rocket lifted off the ground?
What do the stars look like when you're in space?
What do you do for entertainment on the space station?
From the space station, can you see the moon rise and set just like we see it on earth?
What do you miss the most about home whilst you are in space?
Who would treat you if you were ill in space?
What is the largest number of people allowed on one trip to the Space Station?
I have always wanted to be an astronaut. What do I need to do to become one?
Our school is 40 years old this year. Do you think there will still be a space station in another 40 years?
Can you take a picture of Budbrooke School as you pass overhead and bring it to our school?

This page briefly describes what radio amateurs do .. or tries to. It also has links to other amateur radio pages, as well as my own home page which sets out some of my other interests/ occupations (I am not just a radio ham!)

The term "Radio Amateur" is generally taken to imply a hobbyist who transmits radio signals for others to receive. In the United Kingdom (and just about everywhere else in the world) a government licence is needed to do this. All UK radio amateurs possess an official document - legally forming part of their licence - which describes the purpose of amateur radio as " self-training in the field of wireless communication". Triggered by the disastrous floods in 1953, UK Amateur radio operators engage in emergency and other public service communications. Many amateurs have formidable technical skills in science, electronics and allied professional areas which they import into their recreational life. As a consequence radio amateurs are frequently at the forefront of new modes of radio communication, developed as part of their hobby.