I built my first transistor radio when I was 12 years old. The Gemini space program and later the Apollo program were my youthful introduction to astronomy. Through the school I had on my 17th (1970) already facilities for receiving weather satellite (Nimbus 3) signals (NOAA). I am an licensed radio amateur since 1978.
Jan Poppeliers
Author's posts
Oct 11
Multi-point ARISS contact via Belgian Defence (KSOO), Belgium, direct via ON4BAF
A direct contact via Amateur Radio scheduled for October 10, 2023 at 13:36 CEST (Belgium) allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL was a successful. The Royal School for Non-Commissioned Officers (KSOO/ERSO), situated in Sint-Truiden, in the east of Belgium, is Belgium’s main military training establishment for non-commissioned officers (NCOs) andserves …
Jun 03
General Assembly 2023
Annual General Assembly The members of AMSAT Belgium, non-profit association, are invited to attend the annual general meeting. The annual general assembly will take place on Monday, June 19, 2023 at 20:00.Radio Club Leuven – Diestsevest 39 at Leuven. (The meeting room is located in the basement) Agenda general assembly :1. New members and outgoing …
May 26
The Children’s Inn at NIH Bethesda, Maryland, telebridge contact via ON4ISS
The Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health), Bethesda, Maryland, USA There was a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut John Shoffner, amateur radio call sign KO4MJC. Shoffner is a STEM advocate, business pioneer, and life-long space enthusiast, John Shoffner will serve as pilot for Axiom Space’s …
Apr 07
Collège Saint-Anatoile, Salins-Les-Bains, France, telebridge contact via ON4ISS
An ARISS telebridge contact via Amateur Radio, performed with students of Collège Saint-Anatoile, Salins-Les-Bains, France and Astronaut Steve Bowen KI5BKB on Friday April 7, 2023 at 14:27 UTC with OR4ISS and ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Saint Anatoile secondary school is a French private catholic school located in a rural area …
Oct 02
ARRIS contact with Pell Elementary School, RI
The ARISS contact on Tuesday 02 October 2018 at 17:45 UTC (19:45 CEST) 88 deg with OR4ISS and Pell Elementary School, Newport, RI USA, via ARISS telebridge ground station ON4ISS (Aartselaar, Belgium) was successful. Astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU answered all 15 questions from students of Pell Elementary School is Newport, Rhode Island’s. The event came …
Dec 22
AO-40 suffered a catastrophic failure
The newspaper “De Standaard” 22 Dec 2000 provides a report on the status of AO-40. On board was a K-band transponder developed by a AMSAT-ON team. The original idea was to have a 24 GHz beacon. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, suggested to build a transponder. Unfortunately, the result of all these efforts was never fully operational. De Standaard, 22 …