was the first satellite built by amateur radio to be used by radio amateurs around the world, only four years before the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik I, the first manmade object to orbit Earth , marking the beginning of the Space Age.
These were seen as necessary to the security of the United States and a symbol of technological superiority and ideological.
The space race involving pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, human space flight suborbital and orbital around the Earth, as well as driver trips to the moon.
Just four months after the successful launch of Sputnik I, the United States launches Explorer I drone on January 31, 1958. At the same time, a group of amateurs on the West Coast - Lance Ginn, K6GSJ; Chuck Smallhouse, W6MGZ, Ed Beck, K6ZX; Al Diem, Chuck Townes, K6LFH (SK), and Nick Marshall, W6OLO (SK) - start playing with the idea of \u200b\u200blaunching a satellite into orbit amateur and organized in the Project OSCAR.
After a series of high-level exchanges between members of the project OSCAR, the ARRL and the U.S. Air Force, an opportunity to launch a rocket Thor DM-21 as a secondary payload Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was secured for the Amateur Radio Satellite OSCAR I.
was launched successfully in low earth orbit on the morning of December 12, 1961 - four years after the launch of Sputnik I. The satellite was also the first satellite of the private world.
In 1961, over 570 fans in 28 countries submitted observations to the center of Project OSCAR.
Unfortunately, OSCAR 1 only lasted only 22 days orbit before its batteries ran out
The satellite transmission of Morse code consisted of "Hi Hi" at 145 MHz, the transmitter of OSCAR 1 only had a power of 140 mW.
The word "HI" was chosen over any particular call sign, as it was - and remains - recognized internationally as a friendly greeting among amateurs.
The satellite was built, literally, in basements and garages of the project team OSCAR.
was the first satellite to be dismissed as secondary payload on a launch vehicle and then leading into an independent orbit.
The satellite OSCAR 1 was 10 pounds, 12 "x 12" constructed primarily of magnesium, used by both because of its strength and weight requirements.
The satellite has been tested and designed to handle nearly 50 Gs forces, the type of shock that might occur during launch stages and separation.
The final version of the Oscar was plated in gold and black strips of metal through its center to regulate its internal temperature. explosive fuses and compression springs helped push the rocket away OSCAR 1.
A handler and the timer is used to generate the "HI". The rate at which HI was posted was based on the temperature inside the satellite. Two thermistors located
inside the ship controlled timer, and that is how it was determined the variations in the temperature inside the satellite by the speed of the CW transmissions.
Three batteries of 18 V were placed in parallel to power the transmitter, timer and manipulative. The entire unit is filled with a foam-like material to hold internal meetings still. Since there was
solar cell charging system available at the time, in the original design intended operating hours of batteries was approximately 28 days.
Fifty years is a long time - and an important milestone in the thinking of the ARRL.
In laboratory tests the ARRL Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM. Why not have a backup of OSCAR 1 on display at the headquarters of the ARRL and make it work again? So
W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q and Allison began to prepare the satellite, one of three made by Project OSCAR.
One of the satellites went into space in 1961, one is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space in Washington, DC and the other was until recently exhibited in a showcase on the first floor of the headquarters building in Newington.
"We really want to make this work again," Allison said. "So I looked in the publication of the journal QST 02 1962 I was engaged in OSCAR, the first amateur radio satellite in orbit.
But the schemes contained in this publication are not correct and is what we were seeing when it opened a satellite we have here at Headquarters "
According Carcia and Allison, this could due to the Cold War era and the space race, the U.S. military did not want the circuit could fall into the wrong hands. "I tried for days to go drawing board components and just was not working , "Carcia said." So I called Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, one of the people who designed the OSCAR 1. He laughed and said he did not think I would, but you never know
After much trial and error, finally got Carcia OSCAR 1 transmit a signal at 145 MHz, as did the original satellite. From the technical literature
specific satellite was not available, the information taken from the publication of QST 1962 and CQ magazine articles were the means of assistance in rebuilding the station in the laboratories of the ARRL. Much care was given to save the original components, but the weather had taken a toll on most circuits. As such, although transmitter functions, the actual handling of the station is via a beacon keyer PIC.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of OSCAR I satellite, the satellite will be rebuilt and put on display in the area of \u200b\u200bthe ARRL EXPO at Dayton Hamvention, from 20 to 22 May "We OSCAR I connected a dummy load very low power, and when walking around he may, be transmitted to hear "Hi Hi", as it did 50 years ago, "said Allison.
"the Oscar project opened the doors to the world of amateur radio and satellite communications," Carcia said. "Fifty years later, continue to build satellite radio amateurs of amateurs who perform and work so that the original designers could only imagine! "
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